Dinner & Dessert
by Verb
Summary: What’s a little dinner and dessert among friends? CHAPTER 12 NOW ADDED COMPLETE. [DanielOC]
1. Need Help

TITLE: "Dinner & Dessert"

AUTHOR: Me! Oh, uh, Verb

RATING: T, I would think. More towards the end, really.

CATEGORY: Humor, Daniel/Other, unapologetic snark.

SUMMARY: Timing Is Everything

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable Stargate SG-1 characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. This story and other publicly unrecognized events or characters therein are copyrighted to the author and may not be used or reproduced in entirety or in parts without express permission of the author.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Round 4 everybody! Another story for me, different since so far I've always written established characters in the Stargate universe. Thought I'd give this a try. Much thanks to Dessert Blossom-by-the-Sea for a much needed double round of beta'ing as well as encouragement. Please read and enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 1 – Need Help**

Abbie sighed as the elevator doors slid open. _Another Sunday at the SGC_. Not that she minded – her work was never boring and she often had to force herself to untangle her mind from her algorithms and ciphers to get some sleep off base. As she walked down the hall, her mind wandered, settling on a now familiar amazement on just how she had ended up a civilian contractor on an American military base. Not exactly what Abbie had in mind all those years ago in university, but now that she was here, she wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. _Besides, there are some benefits . . ._

Abbie felt her cheeks flush, something she was used to when thinking about one benefit in particular – Dr. Daniel Jackson. Daniel had hired Abbie almost two years ago to head the SGC's cryptology department, and to serve as the director of linguistics whenever he was off world or unable to fulfill his duties. In fact, it was one of those off world excursions that was the reason Abbie had been called in on a Sunday night. Daniel had gone to P4X-394 with SG-8, excavating a site they believed was Mayan in origin. Not normally something Abbie would be involved it – she usually went off world with SG-14 – but they had brought back a few hundred pages of text copied down from one of the temple walls. A linguist in her own right, Abbie often assisted Daniel when the volume of translation was beyond that which one person could handle.

Pausing for a moment outside of Daniel's office, Abbie wiped her suddenly sweaty palms on her dress. Even after two years of working with the man, she could never fully control her body's reaction when she was in the same room as he was. _Stop acting like a 16 year old and go do your job_. Abbie mentally scolded herself as she tapped in Daniel's office door.

Knock Knock 

"Come in!"

Abbie pushed open the door. _Aw, crap._ Her pulse immediately quickened as she took in the sight of her colleague, dressed in one of the best cut suits she had ever seen, a light blue dress shirt bringing out the blue of his eyes, and a black tie hanging loosely around his neck. The sound of her entering his office made him look up and give her a wide smile. "Hi, Abbie."

_The man smiles once, and I'm a puddle._ It was official. She was done.

"Hey, Daniel." Abbie tried her best to sound casual. She had a feeling it wasn't working. "You're all dressed up. What's the occasion?"

Daniel closed his book and stood up from his desk. "I got a call this morning from General O'Neill. Some of our friends from the Joint Chiefs decided to stop by for a visit." He motioned for her to join him beside one of his bookshelves. "So, the General wanted me to show them around the base, give them a little program overview, that sort of thing." He ran one of his hands over the spine of the books on the shelf, as though trying to locate a particular one. "Good thing I always keep my version of a dress uniform on base," he joked.

Abbie chuckled, trying not to let her imagination wander while she watched his hand. "Yeah, good thing. You look very sharp."

Daniel smiled. "Thank you. So do you."

"Oh, um, thank you." Abbie glanced down, trying to hide her blush. She had been in the middle of getting dressed for a night out with her friends when Daniel had called. She was wearing one of her few dresses, a comfortable deep blue v-neck creation, with a hemline that ended just above her knees. Abbie knew it was nothing special, but it was different than her usual business uniform of black pants and a comfortable sweater.

"So, I bet you're wondering why I called you in."

"The thought had crossed my mind."

Daniel pulled a book off of the shelf and handed it to her. "Well, it turns out that those writings we copied down from the temple wall were a bit more complicated than we initially thought."

Abbie looked at the book Daniel had given her. "The Mystery of Text – Codes and Puzzles of the Mayan Empire," she read out loud. She shot a questioning look at Daniel. "So, I'm guessing there were some issues with the translations?"

"No, the translation went fine." Daniel gave a short laugh. "It's the comprehension." He continued to explain at Abbie's puzzled look. "We managed to translate a large portion of the text, but we can't seem to figure out what the text means." He gestured to the desk he was sitting at earlier, pointing at some of the photos he had taken of the temple wall. "Once we got what we think is the best English version of the writing, we couldn't make any sense of it."

"And you're thinking that it may have been written in some kind of code," Abbie said as the pieces of the puzzle started to fit together.

"Exactly," Daniel smiled. "I was hoping that maybe you could take a look at it, see what you can find?"

Abbie stole a quick glace at the clock. "Sure. But I have to be out of here by five. I can continue with whatever I can't figure out on Monday."

Daniel did a bit of a double take. "Is it Sunday?" At Abbie's affirmative nod, Daniel let out a deep breath. "Abbie, I'm so sorry. It completely slipped my mind that you were supposed to be off today." He looked down at the floor. "I shouldn't have called you in."

Abbie laid her hand on his arm, trying to ignore the tingle of warmth she felt at the contact. "It's ok, Daniel." She smiled nervously at him. "It's nice to know you can't do without me."

The meaning of her words hit her as Daniel started to stare at her. "Uh, well, what I mean was . . ." Abbie took a deep breath to stop her rambling. "I mean, it's nice to know that you can call me when you need help." Daniel tiled his head. "Uh, you know, help with translations, and stuff," she finished off lamely. She realized that she was still holding on to his arm. She jerked her hand away, and again wiped her sweaty hands on her dress.

"Um, so why don't I take some of these photos and the translations you've got so far to my office and work on it there." She piled some of the pictures on top of the book and held them to her chest. "I can come by your office before I leave and let you know what I was able to figure out."

Daniel shook his head. "No, I can come to your office and see you before you leave. I need to go and visit Dr. Swanson a little later on, so I can just drop by your office on the way."

"Ok, sounds like a plan." She looked around nervously, not sure what else to day. "I'll, uh, I'll see you in a few hours then."

"I'll be there."

"Ok. Bye." Abbie just about ran out of Daniel's office. _It's nice to know you can't do without me?_ She winced as she replayed that part of their conversation over in her mind. _What on Earth were you thinking?_ And that, she realized, was the problem. She, Abbigail Webber, multiple Ph. D. holder, former UN translator, and master code cracker, was incapable of intelligent thought when in proximity of a certain blue-eyed archeologist. "I need help," she muttered as she strode down the corridor to her office.

xxxxxxx

Daniel waited until Abbie had left his office to sink back into his chair, letting the exhaustion he was feeling take over. Working on a Sunday was nothing new for him – he had already been on his way in when he had received Jack's call. He had enjoyed giving the Joint Chiefs a tour of the facility, always happy to lend a diplomatic hand on behalf of the SGC, especially if these impromptu visits would determine the fate of the program and give Jack a hand.

He hadn't, however, anticipated running into problems with the translation from P4X-398 that afternoon. When he had realized that the translations weren't making any sense, Daniel knew he would need to contact someone from the cryptology department. _And it was coincidence that I happened to contact Abbie._ The rationalization sounded weak, even in his mind. Dr. Wilson was usually the cryptologist on call on the weekends, but Daniel hand called Abbie for her help, probably out of an unconscious desire to work near her. _With her_. His brain automatically corrected the mental slip. He had worked with Abbie for two years, having hired her away from the UN's highly prestigious group of translators with a much more interesting job proposition. He had to fight a bit to get her assigned to the program since she was a dual citizen, both the US and Canada, but after the international assignments for the Atlantis mission had gone through, there was very little to stand in the way of Abbie assuming the role of the head of her department. _How could we _not_ have hired her after that interview_.

Daniel couldn't fight the grin that found its way to his face. Even though he had already offered Abbie the job, Jack had insisted on personal interviews for senior level positions, something about making sure she wasn't too much of a geek. An hour after her plane had landed in Colorado Springs, Abbie had taken over the entire briefing room, giving all of the senior personnel the most entertaining slide presentation entitled "You'd Better Hire Me – All my Stuff's in Colorado Now." In under ten minutes, she had managed to charm the pants off of not only every civilian on base, but Jack and every solider as well. She had this kind of personality that people could trust immediately, and Daniel had known the first time he met her that she would be a good fit with the rest of his team.

Daniel gave himself a mental shake and tried to get back to work on making sense of translation. He readjusted his tie and removed his suit jacket. The simple action caused his mind to wander to his formal attire, and his shock when Abbie had showed up at his office door, wearing a dress. _Wow, she looked gorgeous._ He had never seen her wear a dress before. At work, she stuck to most casual items, and the few times she had gone out with SG1 for dinner she had worn jeans, but never a dress. Especially never a dress that showed off her figure quite like that one did. And, after reading the same page of text seven times and still not actually absorbing what he had read, Daniel knew any chances of him focusing on work were shot. _One look of her in a dress and my brain is reduced to mush._ Daniel sighed. "I need help."

xxxxxxx

_**For those about to review, I salute you.**_


	2. Timing You

TITLE: "Dinner & Dessert"

AUTHOR: Me! Oh, uh, Verb

RATING: T, I would think. More towards the end, really. I'm no good at this rating thing, but if you're 13 or have the maturity of one, I think you can handle it.

CATEGORY: Humor, Daniel/Other, unapologetic snark.

SUMMARY: Timing Is Everything

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable Stargate SG-1 characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. This story and other publicly unrecognized events or characters therein are copyrighted to the author and may not be used or reproduced in entirety or in parts without express permission of the author.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Round 4 everybody! Another story for me, different since so far I've always written established characters in the Stargate universe. Thought I'd give this a try. Much thanks to Dessert Blossom-by-the-Sea for a much needed double round of beta'ing as well as encouragement. Please read and enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 2 – Timing You**

"This makes no sense." Abbie realized that if someone were to enter her office and see her talking to the empty space, she would have been taken straight to the infirmary. She didn't care. She had spent the last two hours trying to make sense of the translation Daniel had given her, and so far all she had gotten out of it was a headache. Frustrated, she pushed her chair away from her desk, needing to get a little distance between her and her work. Closing her eyes, she tried to settle her brain and relax.

"Problems?"

Abbie's eyes snapped open. There was Daniel, leaning casually on the frame of her office door. _Great, now my head and my heart are pounding._ "Hi, Daniel. Yeah, a few problems." She gestured to the work that was strewn all over her desk.

"I've made very little progress. I think that your translations are basically correct, I just think that the problem might be that the original symbols need to be rearranged before the translation can make sense." She sighed. "Or that's my theory, at the very least."

Daniel smiled, knowing exactly how much it bugged her that she couldn't figure out the text. _Just like me._ He cleared his throat. "Well, you can just give me the stuff you have so far, and leave the rest of it for tomorrow." He glanced at the clock. "Didn't you say you had to be out of here by five?"

She followed his gaze to the clock. "Damnit." It was almost 5:30. "Well, at least they expect me to be late." She stood up and attempted to smooth out her dress, then reached up and released her hair from the clip that had it pinned up on her head.

Daniel knew he was staring. He knew that he should stop staring. But he also knew that it was physically impossible for him to focus his eyes anywhere else. She had pulled her hair out of the clip keeping it coiled on her head, letting it tumble down around her shoulders. He had never seen her without her hair up and away from her face, since their military surroundings encouraged the civilian women on base to have short hair, or at the very least keep it up above the collar. But he hadn't realized just how long and soft her hair actually was. He couldn't stop himself from wanting to run his hands through it.

"Daniel?" Abbie's soft voice broke through his somewhat rampant thoughts. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, um, I'm fine. You know, uh, just been a long day." Daniel stumbled over his words, grateful that she couldn't actually read his thoughts. "So, got special plans with your friends?"

Abbie moved to grab her jacket from the coat rack in her office. "Not really anything special. My friends and I have jobs that pretty much make getting together impossible. So, we try to have a night for ourselves every month, go have dinner, talk for hours." She made a face. "My friend Wilma calls it 'chick chat' ".

Daniel had to laugh. "Not a fan, I take it?"

"No, not really," Abbie admitted. "These women are my best friends, and I love them to bits, but sometimes they forget that I'm not married. And when they start up conversations pertaining to their husbands . . ." she let the end of the sentence trail off, hoping that she wouldn't actually have to say the words.

Daniel got the message. "Ah. Well, at least you'll be getting out of the mountain for a bit. You could use the break."

"You should come with me." Abbie blurted out before she had a chance to think.

Daniel blinked, clearly surprised by her offer. "Well, I, uh . . .what?"

Abbie blushed. _I'm officially a moron._ "Well, I mean, you could use a break too, and you have to eat, right? So why don't you just come and hang out for a few hours, and then I can drop you back here or at your house or wherever." She was trying to rationalize her offer to herself as much as she was to Daniel.

"But won't it just be you and your girl friends?"

"Nope," she replied. "This is the husband's month. It will just be my three best friends, their husbands, and me. I get to be the 7th wheel." She shrugged her shoulders. "So, really, you would be doing me a favour, saving me from an entire evening of avoiding questions about my personal life." _Not that I even have one._ She added in her mind.

"Oh." Daniel was having a hard time making a decision. He knew that, from a purely professional standpoint, having dinner with his coworker and his department equal was probably a bad move. But the part of him that couldn't deny his attraction to Abbie was slowly winning the fight. "All right."

Abbie's face brightened. "Really?"

"Yes, really." Daniel did not miss how relieved Abbie looked. It let him think that maybe he wasn't the only one experiencing the attraction. "But, on one condition?"

Abbie raised an eyebrow at him.

"I get to drive."

She grinned. "Deal."

Daniel grinned back. "I just need to go grab my jacket from my office." He patted his hands absently at his dress shirt. "Do I need to change or . . .?"

Abbie shook her head. "Nope, you look perfect." She gave him a sly smile. "In fact, I don't think the fact that my friends are married will protect you."

She watched in amusement as his face flushed at her comment. _At least I'm not the only one who does that._ "I'll do my best to make sure they behave, but no promises."

Daniel, having tried to control his blush as best he could, tilted his head to one side, a motion she recognized from countless hours spent all night working together on a difficult translation. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

She placed her hand on his arm and gave a small squeeze. "You have no idea."

Daniel smiled at the sparkle that flared in Abbie's eyes. "Well, at least it won't be boring."

"No chance of that." Abbie pulled on her coat, adjusting the scarf around her neck. "Do you want to meet topside in about ten minutes?"

"Sure. I'll be there in ten."

"Great." Abbie shut off her desk lamp and moved to push Daniel in the direction of her office door. When they had reached the hallway, she turned to lock her door, grinning in what could only be described as a slightly evil way. _This is going to be interesting._

xxxxxxx

By the time Daniel and Abbie had found his car and made their way past the security checkpoints to get out of the complex, it was five to six. Abbie was in the passenger seat, looking out the window when she let out a soft sigh.

"What is it?"

She shifted in her seat and saw that Daniel was stealing concerned glances at her while he maneuvered the vehicle. "Is there something wrong?" he asked softly.

"Oh, no, nothing's wrong." She twisted her hands as they had fallen to sit in her lap. "I was just thinking that it will be nice to have someone there to help maintain the 'deep space telemetry' cover I've had to use over the years."

Daniel nodded. "I take it your friends don't quite buy that a cryptographer would be needed for a satellite monitoring station."

"Yeah, they're a rather annoyingly intelligent bunch." She gave him a little wistful smile. "Of course, it doesn't help that I'm a terrible liar."

He laughed at the way her face scrunched up when she admitted her inability to lie. "Well, at least I know that you'll always be telling the truth."

She let out a laugh of her own. "I guess so."

They sat in a comfortable silence for the rest of the way to the restaurant, a place called the Ritz Grill in downtown Colorado Springs. Abbie had never been to this place before, but Wilma had and swore up and down that it had the best pasta she had ever tasted. Abbie was starting to feel a bit nervous about all of her childhood friends meeting her sort of boss. _My intelligent, witty, well-read, very attractive sort of boss_. She took a deep breath.

Daniel parked the car and turned to look at her. "Are you sure that you're ok?"

She smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring way. "Yes, I am. I'm very glad that you decided to come with me. It's a nice change to spend some time with you outside of work." She took another deep breath. "Ready?"

"Usually." Daniel grinned and opened his door to step outside. "But I still think you should have let me bring a zat," he joked. She shot him a half amused, half annoyed look and made her way out of the car. He and Abbie walked up to the restaurant's front entrance, both of them grateful for the blast of warm air that greeted them when the doors opened.

Abbie walked up to the hostess stand. "Hi. Should be a reservation under Wilma, for 7 people."

"Hey, Nash!"

Abbie turned towards the sound of the very familiar voice. "Wilma!"

Daniel watched as a short Asian woman who looked to be in her early 30's ran across the restaurant floor and launched herself at Abbie, nearly knocking her over and giving her a huge hug.

Abbie and Wilma separated, holding each other at arms length. "How are you? I feel like it's been years!" Abbie exclaimed.

"I know, sweetie, I know!" Wilma replied, "But you know how busy the movie business keeps me. Once a month is just not enough for the chick chat!"

Abbie caught Daniel's eyes and made a face at her friend's mention of the dreaded 'chick chat'. Daniel let out a soft chuckle.

The sound caught Wilma's attention, and she turned around to get a good look at Daniel. "Going to introduce me to your friend, A?"

Abbie cleared her throat. "Wilma, this is Dr. Daniel Jackson, one of my coworkers and a good friend. Daniel, this is one of my best friends, Wilma."

Daniel, being the polite and seasoned diplomat that he is, stuck his hand out towards Wilma. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Wilma snuck a quick once over look at Daniel as she reached out and shook his hand. "I assure you, Doctor, the pleasure is all mine."

"Wilma," Abbie said, a warning clear in the tone of her voice.

"What?" Wilma's smile was anything but innocent. "I must say, it's nice to finally meet someone that Nash works with. We've started to think that maybe that top secret job of hers was all in her head."

Abbie rolled her eyes and her friend. "Yes, well, trust me when I say the paychecks are anything but." She gestured to the main dining area of the restaurant. "Are we the last to arrive?"

"As usual," Wilma laughed. "But we figured you would be, so we ordered for you. Jason insisted in getting here exactly ten minutes early, you know how he is."

"Jason is Wilma's husband." Abbie explained to Daniel. "He's an entertainment lawyer, and he can get a little . . . "

"Freaky?" Wilma supplied.

"I was going to say 'time-conscious', but he's your husband, so I guess you could call him 'freaky' ".

Wilma shrugged her shoulders and addressed Daniel. "He's a bit on the crazy side, that husband of mine, but I love him anyway." She grabbed Daniel's arm and started to pull. "Come on, I'll introduce you to the rest of the crowd. Maybe you can help shed some light on the male preoccupation with time for me." Glancing at Abbie, Daniel gently untangled his arm from Wilma's grasp. "Ok, but maybe I should go and check my coat first." He turned to Abbie. "Would you like me to take yours as well?"

"I'll go with you," Abbie said as she started to shrug off her coat. "We'll meet you at the table, ok?"

Wilma nodded her head. "We're in the far left corner, beside the window." She stole another appreciative glance at Daniel. "I'll snag another chair for you, Doctor."

"Thank you. And, please, call me Daniel."

"Daniel," Wilma repeated as she tilted her head and looked at Abbie with a mischievous grin on her face. "I'm timing you." Then she turned and walked back through the crowd to the table.

Abbie could feel her face starting to flush. _Maybe this whole "Bring your boss to meet your friends" thing was a bad idea. _"We should go and drop off our coats."

Daniel just nodded and followed her to the coat check. He could tell just by the few minutes of interaction he had seen that Abbie and Wilma had a lot of history and friendship, the depth of which he was sure he would never fully uncover. But, Wilma's last comment had obviously meant something to Abbie, and was having an effect on her, as she was now sporting the sexiest blush he had even seen. _And when did you start thinking a blush was sexy, exactly? _His mind questioned_. Probably since you started noticing that Abbie blushes quite a bit when you're around._

He gave his head a small shake and focused for the moment on handing the clerk both his and Abbie's coats. While waiting for the ticket to retrieve their jackets later, Daniel decided he needed to ask something. "So, why did Wilma say she'd be timing us?"

"Oh, that." Abbie blushed a little harder. "I was hoping you wouldn't ask that."

"Sorry," he said with a smile, "I'm an anthropologist. Asking questions is what I do."

"I suppose that's true." Abbie laughed. "Last year when our friends Mark and Elisha got married, you'll actually be meeting them tonight, both Wilma and Jason volunteered to check everyone's jackets." Abbie let her gaze drop to the floor. "We were waiting for a good hour before they reappeared at the table. They got a little, uh, 'distracted', or at least that's how Wilma described it." She fought the blush that threatened to take back over. "She was just trying to be funny, she doesn't know that we're not, uh, well, together."

"I see." Daniel couldn't help but grin as Abbie tried to explain without making him feel uncomfortable. He could admit to himself that the idea of being 'distracted' by Abbie had crossed his mind.

Abbie cleared her throat. "Yeah, so, shall we go and introduce you to the rest of the asylum?"

"I think so." He gestured for Abbie to lead the way, placing a hand on her lower back to help guide her.

If Daniel noticed Abbie's breathing speed up, he didn't mention it. It took almost all of her concentration to walk in a straight line.

xxxxxxx

**_A/N #2_** Much obliged to **Romulus Magnus** and **janissima** who reminded me that I forgot to mention this story takes place sometime in the eighth season, since Jack's a general. Plus, thanks for the reviews everyone! Hope this chapter was a good continuation on the first. And, yes, there is plently more to come. Thanks guys!

xxxxxxxx

_**For those about to review, I salute you.**_


	3. The Nash

TITLE: "Dinner & Dessert"

AUTHOR: Me! Oh, uh, Verb

RATING: T, I would think. More towards the end, really. I'm no good at this rating thing, but if you're 13 or have the maturity of one, I think you can handle it.

CATEGORY: Humor, Daniel/Other, unapologetic snark.

SUMMARY: What's a little dinner and dessert among friends? (Yeah, I just realized in the first two chapters, the summary for this story is wrong. Uh, oops?)

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable Stargate SG-1 characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. This story and other publicly unrecognized events or characters therein are copyrighted to the author and may not be used or reproduced in entirety or in parts without express permission of the author.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Round 4 everybody! Another story for me, different since so far I've always written established characters in the Stargate universe. Thought I'd give this a try. Much thanks to Dessert Blossom-by-the-Sea for a much needed double round of beta'ing as well as encouragement. Please read and enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 3 - The Nash**

As they approached the table, Daniel recognized Wilma and assumed the tall, blond haired man seated to her left was Jason. Also seated at the table was a redheaded woman who appeared to be deep in conversation with a light brown haired man wearing glasses, and a dark haired couple, the woman of whom appeared to be very pregnant.

"It's the Nash!" The tall dark haired man jumped up from the table and wrapped Abbie in a bear hug. "Glad you could make it. We were worried for a minute there that the feds had kidnapped you!

"It's nice to see you too, Paul," Abbie managed to squeak out. "But if you keep hugging me like that, I might not live long enough to see you again!"

"Oh, sorry," Paul apologized as he released her. "Got excited there for a second."

"Yeah, he tends to do that," the dark haired woman explained from where she sat. "Which, these days, is all the time." She shifted in her chair to face Abbie. "Hey, sweetie, how are you?"

"I'm great, Paige. It's good to see you up and out of the house!" Abbie said as she reached down to give her friend a quick hug.

"Yeah, well, I was starting to go a little stir crazy, since Paul won't let me do a damn thing." Paige paused and pinned Daniel with an inquisitive gaze. "Going to introduce us to your friend?"

"I'm surprised Wilma didn't try already," Abbie smiled at Daniel and gestured for him to take a step closer to the table. "This is Dr. Daniel Jackson. He's head of the linguistic department where I work."

Paul stuck out his hand to shake Daniel's. "Nice to meet you, Dr. Jackson."

"Daniel."

"Hi, Daniel," Paige said from her seat. "You'll have to excuse me if I don't get up – I'm moving a little slow these days. Junior here doesn't let me move around that much."

Daniel smiled at her use of the name 'Junior'. "That's perfectly ok. It's nice to meet you both."

"And this," Abbie gestured to the red head and the man in the glasses, "is Elisha and her husband Mark. They're both teachers at an elementary school here in the Springs, so don't be insulted if they try to get you to fingerpaint something."

Elisha laughed. "Yeah, we're just happy to be hanging out with people over the age of nine for a change." She shot a look at Paul. "Present company excluded."

"Have a seat, Daniel." The man Daniel had identified as Jason gestured to an empty seat. "So, you're a doctor?"

"Yes, of archeology," Daniel answered as he pulled out a chair for Abbie to sit in.

Abbie gave him a surprised but thankful look as she sat down. "Daniel actually holds three doctorates – anthropology, philology, and archeology."

"Really?" Mark asked. "Well, finally, some one who can keep up with Nash here. We don't have a clue what she's saying the best of times."

"Shut up!" Abbie exclaimed and gave Mark a playful shove.

"I have a question, if you don't mind?" Daniel asked.

Mark reclined in his chair. "Shoot."

"Why do you all call Abbie 'Nash'?"

The group burst out into laugher. Abbie, who was trying to maintain an air of indignant annoyance, quickly broke and started laugh with her friends. "They just like to tease me, that's all."

"Well, that's part of it, yeah," Wilma admitted. "But it's more of a term of endearment, really."

Elisha tried unsuccessfully to hide a snort.

"Hey! It is!" Wilma insisted.

"You should probably just tell him the story, Abbie," Paige suggested. "It might make more sense if you try and explain it."

"Probably a good idea." Abbie swiveled in her chair slightly to address Daniel. "Back when we were in high school, I tried to get people interested in a kind of cryptology club, a place during our free study period where a group of students could mess around with ciphers and codes and all of that fun stuff."

"Basically somewhere Abbie could do her geek thing," Mark joked.

Abbie shot him an amused look. "Basically. So, armed with an official club sanction from our principal-"

"Who she had wrapped around her little finger," Paige pointed out.

"Could I help it if I was a model student?" Abbie protested.

"Don't listen to her, Daniel – she was a little hell raiser." Wilma gave him a knowing smile.

"Oh, I believe it." Daniel could clearly remember a few off world visits that could fit that description.

Wilma scooted closer to Daniel. "Ohh, something tells me there's a story there. Do tell."

"Daniel, promise me you won't tell her a thing." Abbie pleaded. She could tell by the sparkle in his eyes that he was remembering a certain off world mission.

Daniel placed a hand over his heart. "I promise."

"Thank you. Can I get back to the story now?" Abbie looked around the table. Wilma made a zipping motion over her lips. "Thank you. As I was saying, I used my club sanction to commandeer the library resource room for our little club, and convinced these lovely ladies to join me."

"We let her convince us," Elisha insisted. "We figured that if we didn't join, she'd be all by herself."

"Plus we wanted to sit in the library and gossip uninterrupted for an hour instead of studying," Paige pointed out.

Abbie let out a little laugh. "Well, maybe that too." She tried to get back to the story. "Anyway, these crazy girls and I worked our way through as many of those Mensa puzzle books as we could get our hands on, courtesy of our grade twelve calculus teacher."

Daniel held up his hand to stop Paige from speaking. "Let me guess – who was also wrapped around Abbie's little finger?"

Paige smiled. "Smart man. Abbie was our go-to girl for anything that needed to be cleared with the administration." She addressed Abbie. "She had a way with both the adults and the students, despite the fact that she used to get so embarrassed about speaking in public we had to call the paramedics to give her oxygen that one time."

Daniel laughed. "Somehow, I find that hard to believe, especially since I know you used to work for the UN."

Abbie shrugged. "I've gotten better at that over the years. Especially with the amount of reports and briefings I've had to give to the General."

Daniel shot Abbie a look, concerned that using the General's title was revealing too much.

"Oh, don't worry, Daniel," Jason reassured him. "We know that Abbie works in some way for the military, we just pretend not to hear the specifics."

"Besides," Mark pointed out, "her current employer really makes the 'Nash' nickname that much more amusing."

Abbie took a quick sip of her water and continued explain the nickname to Daniel. "Our calculus teacher, Mr. Wright, used to pop in every once in a while to help us and 'get some chalk on his hands'," she made air quotes with her fingers. "He was a little crazy, but we loved him anyway. He wrote a really strange algorithm that I had never seen before on the board and asked us to do what we could with it."

"And by 'we', he meant 'Abbie'," Elisha clarified.

"Well, yeah," Abbie admitted.

"Abbie spend the next 8 hours in that room, and with the help of an abnormally large stack of what looked like every book the library had on cryptography, she figured out that the algorithm was correct, but incomplete," Elisha continued. "She wrote the whole thing out and showed it to Mr. Wright."

"Now, by that time, the entire school had heard about Abbie's 8 hour geek-out and a large group had gathered around the library," Mark supplied some additional information.

"And I take it that the three of you," Daniel pointed at the three other men seated at the table, "were a part of that crowd."

The men shared a look. "Guilty," they admitted in unison.

"When Mr. Wright got back and looked over Abbie's work, he was so excited he could barely contain himself," Paul explained. "So excited, in fact, that he gave Abbie a giant hug and yelled out "Way to go, Nash!"

Wilma couldn't contain her laughter any longer. "At first we thought he had just forgotten her name, he always was a little scatterbrained."

"But in fact," Jason picked up where his wife left off, "He had just unknowingly given her the most fitting nickname of all time."

"Nash?" Daniel asked.

"Nash." Mark confirmed.

"As in John Forbes Nash, Jr., mathematician and Nobel prize winner?" Daniel questioned.

"One and the same," Paul reclined in his chair, reaching over to rub his wife's back. "We figure that with Abbie's brains and her current super secret employ in an ultra-classified government facility, the nickname was most appropriate."

"A fact that has continued to haunt me my entire life," Abbie laughed. It felt really good to laugh. It had been too long since she had seen her friends, and it was made even better to see that Daniel fit right in. He was as relaxed as she had ever seen him, sitting with his arm draped over the back of her chair, responding enthusiastically to a question Jason had asked him. _It's nice not to be the extra wheel._

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A/N #2 Thanks so much everyone for the wonderful reviews – it's really nice to know people are reading and liking the story! Please review if you feel like it – constructive feedback is always welcome.

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_**For those about to review, I salute you.**_


	4. Rubik’s Complex

TITLE: "Dinner & Dessert"

AUTHOR: Me! Oh, uh, Verb

RATING: T, I would think. More towards the end, really. I'm no good at this rating thing, but if you're 13 or have the maturity of one, I think you can handle it.

CATEGORY: Humor, Daniel/Other, unapologetic snark.

SUMMARY: What's a little dinner and dessert among friends? (Yeah, I just realized in the first two chapters, the summary for this story is wrong. Uh, oops?)

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable Stargate SG-1 characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. This story and other publicly unrecognized events or characters therein are copyrighted to the author and may not be used or reproduced in entirety or in parts without express permission of the author.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Round 4 everybody! Another story for me, different since so far I've always written established characters in the Stargate universe. Thought I'd give this a try. Much thanks to Dessert Blossom-by-the-Sea for a much needed double round of beta'ing as well as encouragement. Please read and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 4 - Rubik's Complex

The group of eight slipped into an easy, casual conversation over dinner, mostly involving Daniel asking various questions about everyone's work. That somehow prompted the story of Wilma and Jason's first date, a tale that had Daniel laughing harder than he had in a very long time. They moved from discussing how the couples had become couples and somehow convinced Daniel to share some of his experiences in Egypt.

" . . . and, basically, it's really not a good idea to let a goat anywhere near your tent. Especially if said goat knows how to undo the zipper holding the tent closed."

The table burst out into laughter. Abbie found herself clamping her hands over her mouth, desperately trying not to laugh so hard that she wouldn't be able to breath.

"Uh oh, there she goes!" Mark chuckled.

"Let's see if she falls out of her chair this time!" Jason said.

Abbie calmed down a little, but couldn't hold back the laughter. "That was a one time thing! Plus, I had a bruise on my butt for a week." She tried to get a hold of her laughter.

A concerned look passed over Daniel's face and he gently held Abbie by the arms to help keep her steady. "You ok?"

"I'm fine," Abbie reassured him. "But thank you." She gave him what she hoped was a winning smile. It seemed to work, because he smiled right back.

"We can't help it if we're hilariously funny." Wilma smiled. "Hey, look, a band!"

In a corner of the restaurant, a band had set up and was playing a soft ballad. Several of the other couples in the restaurant had gotten up to dance.

"Come on, Jason – let's go show these people how to dance!" Wilma urged as she pulled him out of his seat.

Jason sighed. "I knew those dance lessons for her birthday were a bad idea," he said as he was dragged to the dance floor.

Mark stood up and turned to Elisha, executing a little bow. "May I have this dance?"

Elisha smiled and took his outstretched hand. "Yes, you may."

Paul let out a snort. "God, you guys make me sick sometimes."

"Look who's talking, Mr. 'Honey, do you want me to cut your food for you'," Mark teased his friend as he lead his wife away from the table.

Paul managed to look wounded. "Abbie, are you going to let him talk to me like that?"

Abbie grinned and shared a look with Paige. "Maybe."

Paul gave a small huff. "Well, if you won't defend me, I have no choice then to drag you over there and make you dance with me."

"Oh, you wouldn't," Abbie challenged.

Paul raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I would. Of course," he paused, "Only if Daniel's ok with it."

Daniel was a little surprised by Paul's request. He knew that Paul was a good friend of Abbie's, and he was married, so he did not feel at all threatened by the man. _Wait, threatened?_ Since when did he start to feel protective of her? He focused his gaze on Abbie, trying to decipher the look he saw in her eyes. "Sure, go ahead."

"Thanks, man." Paul gave his wife a quick kiss on the cheek. "Be back soon." He pulled Abbie out of her chair and led her over to a clear spot on the dance floor.

"So, they abandoned you to sit with the pregnant lady, huh?"

Daniel tore his eyes off of Paul and Abbie to face Paige. "I wouldn't say abandoned."

Paige smiled and shifted around in her seat, trying to settle herself in a more comfortable position. "Well, I promise not to bore you with all of the mysteries of childbirth."

He smiled. "Actually, I doubt very much that there are any mysteries left that I'm not aware of." He continued at Paige's inquisitive look. "I've delivered a baby before."

Paige raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really?"

"Three, actually," He admitted.

"How does a doctor of anthropology end up delivering one baby, let alone three?"

"Long, and somewhat classified story. The first one was during a dig in the Yucatan. I made friends with the local midwives, and they taught me a few things. The seond was for a woman in a culture I was studying. She went into labour unexpecdly, and I was the only one of my four teammates who had had any kind of training in that area." He paused, unsure if he should continue.

"And the third?" Paige prompted.

"Was the child of my wife," Daniel said softly. "We were in a very remote area, it was important that the baby be safe." His mouth curved in a whistful smile.

Paige noted the sad tone of voice and could see that the memory pained him. "And your wife?" she asked him gently.

"She died many years ago." Daniel decided that it would be best to let Paige think Sha're had died during childbirth then risk another explanation.

"That must have been a very difficult time for you."

Daniel nodded. "It was. But the people I work with are more like a family to me, and they helped me get through it."

Paige reached over and patted his hands. "Well, I'm sure that it was a great comfort to her to know that you were there."

"I hope so." Daniel smiled. "It's amazing what you pick up on a dig with people who have such vayring skills." He joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Paige picked up on his joke and slilently agreed with the change of mood. "Well, whatever it is that you guys do on that military base, I'm glad that it makes Abbie happy." She paused and tilted her head. "Are you the Dr. Jackson that hired her?"

"I am," he confimed.

"So you're the alien pyramid theory guy." Daniel's shocked look caused her to continue. "I'm a research librarian for the military in Bethesda. I know a few things." She smiled at him. "I can do a lot of damange with just a name."

"Remind me to slip you a few names, then."

"How did that happen, exactly?" Paige asked. "The job offer, I mean. She told us that she was considering a government contract, but she didn't say how the job offer had come to be."

Daniel took a sip of his drink, placing his glass back on the table. "A colleguge of mine, Dr. Lee, was in New York for a conference at the UN. He met, if you can call it that, Abbie at a lunch for some of the translators." He grinned as he remembered the conversation Bill had relayed to him. "Apparently, Dr. Lee had walked by her table and dropped an entire cup of hot coffee on her lap."

Paige laughed. "She told me about that! She was furious about the coffee stains on her suit!"

"Apparently, Abbie swore at him in at least four languages that he could identify, and a few that he couldn't," Daniel continued. "So, he got her name from one of the event hosts and forwarded her resume to me. The rest, I'm sure you already know."

"I have never seen her so busy or so happy in her entire life," Paige said and smiled as she watched her husband spin Abbie across the floor.

Daniel noded. "She's a very skilled linguist."

Paige focused her eyes on Daniel with a look that made his hands sweat. "And what about outside of work?"

"Uh, w-what do you mean?" Daniel stumbled over the words a little.

Paige continued to stare him down. "Well, Abbie has never introduced us to any of her coworkers, nor has she ever brought a male friend with her to one of our little gatherings."

Daniel could feel his face heating up. "Well, I can't say that I know much about Abbie outside of what I see at work and-"

Paige cut him off "But what you do see, you like."

Daniel tried to say something, _anything_ to try and avoid talking about the more than friendly thoughts he had had about Abbie in front of her friend. Her very sharp best friend.

"It's ok, Daniel," Paige reached out and patted his hand again. "You're very much like Abbie – I can read both of you like a book. Privilege of the best friend." She gave him a reassuring smile. "I take it neither of you get to socialize much."

Daniel hesitated. He may not have had many social relationships outside of the SGC in a long time, but he was a smart enough man to take notice of the importance of not spilling his guts to the best friend of the woman he wanted. _Liked._ "It has been a while," he admitted. "I have really enjoyed being surrounded by a room full of people for once, instead of thousand year old artifacts."

"And by 'people', you mean 'Abbie'." Paige shot him a look that clearly challenged him to deny it in a believable way.

He couldn't. "I suppose I do." Daniel fought to hide the colour rising from his neck.

Paige gave him a knowing look. "I don't blame you. Abbie is a very smart, compassionate and caring person. Not to mention cute as hell."

Daniel focused his eyes on the floor, refusing to look up and see what he knew was a smug smile on Paige's face.

"I've always said she was too smart for her own good, though. Never could tell when someone found her attractive. She always said that would never happen."

Daniel's gaze lifted at that comment. He couldn't think of a single time when that would be true. "Really?"

"Really. She's always been too busy with her work, buried under a mountain of paper with a never-ending stream of words to reconfigure to notice anyone taking any interest in her. We've always said she has a Rubik's complex."

"Rubik's complex?"

"She always needs to solve the puzzle." Paige smiled. "And something tells me you share that trait."

Daniel could only nod in reply. His gaze had drifted back to the dance floor. He watched as Paul dipped Abbie in time to the music, the biggest smile he had ever seen on her face. Daniel knew that their jobs left little room for life outside the SGC, and it made him feel a whole hell of a lot better to know that Abbie had friends who could show her a normal, alien-free life, even if it was only for one night.

"You know, if you keep staring at them that hard, I'm fairly sure my husband's shirt will catch on fire."

Paige's joking tone cut through Daniel's thoughts. "I wasn't staring." Daniel protested weakly.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Right. And I'm not pregnant, I just have a giant beach ball under my shirt," she said as she patted her protruding tummy. "Look, Daniel, I know Abbie. She's a very private person, and before you, I know that she has never even told anyone else at her work about our monthly dinners, let alone bring someone to join us." Paige followed her husband and Abbie with her eyes. "And if there is anything I can say for sure, it's that she wouldn't have brought you to meet us if she didn't like you."

"I like her too." The words were out of Daniel's mouth before he could stop them.

Paige gave him a very kind look. "Then don't you think you should tell her that?"

Daniel stared at her for a moment. Maybe he had lost his mind, but he was pretty sure that Paige had just given him permission to go after her best friend.

Paige put her elbows on the table and leaned in closer to him. "I've known Abbie for her entire adult life. I've seen her go through a lot. And at the risk of getting a little too personal, she's had close to no luck when it comes to the opposite sex." She smiled at the colour that was visible on Daniel's face. "Wilma's the unstoppable flirt, Elisha's the lovable snob, I'm the older mother figure, and Abbie is our shy genius. And she needs to experience a life outside of work. You can help her with that."

Paige's little speech shot Daniel's brain into overdrive. He knew that Paige was on to him. She seemed to have the uncanny ability to read his thoughts about Abbie before he could even admit he had _had_ them. He knew that, sooner or later, he was going to have to do something about his growing feelings for Abbie. He just wasn't sure if he was ready to do anything yet. _How can I be sure she feels anything for me?_

Daniel's gaze was once again drawn to the dance floor and Abbie, who was now dancing with Mark. He must have said something to make her laugh, because she had one hand clapped over her mouth, trying to hold back the giggles he knew she just couldn't control. He could feel a small smile of his own sneaking across his face. His glance turned into a full out stare when Abbie caught his eyes from across the room and gave him a wink.

"Go dance with her."

Daniel wordlessly followed Paige's suggestion, barely acknowledging her as he stood up and made his way to the dance floor. It was almost as if his instincts had taken control of his body, the only goal to be close to Abbie.

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**A/N #2** Thanks again everyone for the awesome reviews – it's been great to hear that Abbie's not so bad for an OC! Please review if you feel like it – constructive feedback is always welcome.

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_**For those about to review, I salute you.**_


	5. The Wink

TITLE: "Dinner & Dessert"

AUTHOR: Me! Oh, uh, Verb

RATING: T, I would think. More towards the end, really. I'm no good at this rating thing, but if you're 13 or have the maturity of one, I think you can handle it.

CATEGORY: Humor, Daniel/Other, unapologetic snark.

SUMMARY: What's a little dinner and dessert among friends?

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable Stargate SG-1 characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. This story and other publicly unrecognized events or characters therein are copyrighted to the author and may not be used or reproduced in entirety or in parts without express permission of the author.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Round 4 everybody! Another story for me, different since so far I've always written established characters in the Stargate universe. Thought I'd give this a try. Much thanks to Dessert Blossom-by-the-Sea for a much needed double round of beta'ing as well as encouragement. Please read and enjoy!

Oh, and make way for the mushy stuff for this chapter!

* * *

Chapter 5 – The Wink

Daniel approached the pair and tapped Mark on the shoulder. "Mind if I cut in?"

Mark gave him a grin. "About time, Doctor." He gave Abbie a little bow and made his way back to the table.

Abbie stared at the man standing before her. She couldn't help but start to blush at the way he was looking at her, as if she were the most fascinating thing he had ever seen. He stepped into her personal space and placed an arm around her waist, the other reaching to hold her hand. "Hi." He pulled her as close to his body as he dared.

She smiled up at him and slipped her free hand to rest at the base of his neck. "Hi. Paige wasn't giving you the third degree, was she?" Abbie asked as she began to follow his lead and moved in time to the soft music that filled the room.

Daniel gave a soft chuckle. "No, not really." He gave her a mischievous smile. "We mostly talked about you."

Abbie tried to look shocked. "Oh really? And what kind of wild stories was she trying to pass off as true?"

"None, actually. She asked how it was that you ended up working with me."

She nodded. "That makes sense. I wasn't able to give them many details." She moved a little closer to him so no one else could overhear their conversation. "I couldn't really tell her that some jackass from a secret government facility that specializes in alien technology dumped a mug full of hot coffee on me."

Daniel was struggling to fight his body's immediate reaction when Abbie leaned in to speak quietly in his ear. He knew that she was just trying to make sure that no one overhead the alien part, but he couldn't help but feel as though that wasn't the only reason. That and he knew he was enjoying the sensation of her body pressed up against his way too much. He summoned up as much courage and sanity as he had left to answer her. "I'm glad he did."

She gave him a slightly questioning look, confused as to how having a lap full of scalding coffee was in any way a good thing.

"If he hadn't, I never would have met you." He removed his hand from hers and reached up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, marveling at how soft her skin felt beneath his fingers.

Abbie gave an involuntary shudder, unsure if it hand been caused by his words or the feeling of his fingers slowly caressing her face. "I guess I own Bill an apology then."

Daniel smiled. "Did you really call him a self obsessed frog?"

Abbie shook her head. "No, I called him an egomaniacal piece of pond scum." She gave him a small smile. "His Hungarian isn't as good as he thinks."

Daniel laughed at her shy confession. "I guess it loses some effect in the translation."

"It probably does." She could feel the vibrations of Daniel's laughter, and it made her smile to know that she had been the one to cause it. Her previous experiences with men were few and far between, her relationships even more so. But, as she took a sort of mental inventory of all the sensations and emotions swirling around in her mind, she could honestly admit to herself that there was nowhere else she'd rather be that wrapped in Daniel's arms, slowly dancing to the soft music.

"Hey, everything ok?" Daniel's gentle question broke through her thoughts.

She gave him the biggest smile she could muster. "Everything is wonderful. I'm really glad that you decided to come to dinner."

Daniel leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Me too." He pulled her impossibly closer, placing both hands at her waist. He could feel the beat of her heart against his chest as she shifted her hands to cup the back of his neck, and let out a soft breath as she started to draw little circles against his skin with her fingertips.

"Ok, break it up you two!" Abbie lifted her head to see Wilma standing next to them, a huge smirk planted on her face. "Stand any closer together and you'd be wearing the same pair of pants!"

Abbie blushed and pulled away from Daniel, embarrassed at having been caught standing so close to him. The pants comment didn't do much to help.

Daniel noticed Abbie's discomfort and claps one of his hands around hers. He did his best to try and lighten the mood. "You know, I once had a professor who claimed that archeology was the most fun one could have with one's pants on." He gave Abbie a small smile and squeezed her hand. "Until now I was pretty sure she was right."

Abbie beamed at him, relieved to learn he had enjoyed their dance as much as she had.

Wilma let out a dramatic sigh. "I knew I got into the wrong profession. Well, can't go crying over displaced soil and all that." She winked at Daniel. "Time for dessert!"

Abbie glanced at her watch. "Is it really that late? We should probably get going then. Does everybody have a ride?"

"Yup. Paul brought the MCV, so we all drove here together." Wilma said as the three of them made their way back to the table.

Daniel paused. "I know I'm going to regret asking this, but-"

"What's an MCV?" Wilma grabbed Daniel's arm in an attempt to pull him closer, but only ended up in pulling Abbie closer to him as they were still holding each other's hand. "Yeah, well back in the day when Mark and Elisha were dating, Mark drove a van. A big red van. A big red soccer mom van. And there was that one time we all had a little too much to drink-"

"Everyone but me, that is – I ended up driving that monstrosity, remember?" Abbie interjected.

"Ok, everyone but Nash got a little too drunk," Wilma amended "And we started to get . . . philosophical about the van."

"And by 'philosophical', she means singing "Magic Carpet Ride" at the top of their lungs," Abbie glared at her friend. "All six of them at the same time."

"Hey, we were good!" Wilma protested. "I make no excuse for the occasional rendition of a classic Steppenwolf song. Besides, it's how we christened the MCV."

"What, the Magic Carpet Van?" Mark asked as the three reached the table. "That thing's legendary. Did they tell you about the time we attempted to drive to D.C. and Nash got-"

In one swift motion, Abbie clamped her hand down on Mark's mouth, effectively stopping him from speaking. "We are NOT going to mention D.C. ever again." She shot a sheepish look at Daniel, who was unsuccessfully trying to hold back his laughter. "Especially not in the presence of someone I work with, ok?"

Mark nodded.

"Now, if I removed my hand, do you promise to behave for the rest of the night?"

Mark nodded again.

She released her hold over Mark's mouth. He made a big show of wiggling his lips around, as if he had just had a piece of tape removed. "You know, it would have been a lot easier to just ask me to shut up."

Elisha let out a snort. "And since when has that ever worked?"

" . . . carry the two . . ." Jason murmured. "Ah, that would be never."

"Yeah, well, see if I ever help you move furniture again." Mark got up from his chair and moved to help Elisha out of her seat. "We headed over to your house, Nash?"

"That we are. You remember how to get there?" Abbie asked.

"No, he doesn't," Paige interrupted before her husband could get any words out. "But I think Paul is going to drive, so I'm sure we'll manage." She turned in her seat to face the part of the restaurant where Wilma was settling the bill. "Wilma, you have any idea where we're going?" she yelled.

"To the house with the killer brownies!" Wilma called out.

Abbie sighed. "Close enough. I'll keep my phone on, just in case."

Paige gave her a worried look from where Paul was helping her out of her seat. "Just promise me you won't answer it while you're driving. I've seen way too many cell phone car accident statistics from my last research project," she said by way of explanation to Daniel.

"Actually, I drove us here, so it shouldn't be a problem," Daniel reassured her. "I'll make sure she's safe."

It didn't take a man as brilliant as Daniel to figure out that his words had had an effect on both Abbie and Paige. The look that passed between the two women standing in front of him was full of meaning. As for what that meaning was, he couldn't say for sure. But the blush that bloomed on Abbie's face encouraged his mind to leap to conclusions that probably were not safe to imagine while in a public place.

Abbie had been friends with Paige for over 20 years. In those years, both women had developed many skills, the most important of which was probably the ability to have entire conversations with only a look, no words necessary. And the look she had just gotten from Paige when Daniel had said he would keep her safe proved just how unnecessary words really were. The look that clearly said 'Honey, he'd do a lot more than that if you'd just ask him!'

Abbie couldn't let herself believe it. She knew that her friends were good judges of character. Paige in particular was exceptionally good at sorting the truth from the bull. Abbie had been momentarily worried when Paul had insisted she dance with him, effectively leaving Daniel at the mercy of her well meaning but ruthlessly observant friend. She had relaxed when she had seen Daniel and Paige talking animatedly, laughing at something he had said. It made her stomach do a strange little flip flop to see just how much her friends seemed to like him. And it was at that moment that Daniel had looked out to the dance floor and locked his eyes with hers. He seemed to be reading her thoughts, and she had given him a wink before she could over think the action. Mark had given her a hard time about it.

"Did you just . . . judge's ruling . . . yes, I do believe you just winked at that young man!"

"I did not!" Her denial sounded weak, even to her own ears.

Mark scoffed. "Nash, it is painfully obvious that you and your smartypants boss are totally hot for each other. He's been checking you out all night."

"And how would you know?" Abbie accused.

"Please. I'm a guy – we can see these things."

"Yeah, well, you might want to get a new prescription." She gave his glasses a little tap.

Mark swatted her hand away from his face and readjusted his glasses. "My prescription is just fine, thank you. Although, if you don't see it, you're more blind that I thought." He gave her a sly smile. "Of course, if you keep winking at him, he might slide to the floor as an unintelligible puddle of goo."

"I very seriously doubt that."

"Don't underestimate the power of that wink, sweetie." Mark caught Abbie and dipped her as the song ended. "It makes you way cuter than you give yourself credit for."

" 'Totally hot for each other'. What are you, 12?"

"12 and a half next month." He said and smiled at her.

The remembered conversation caused yet another blush to rise on her cheeks. Praying that Daniel wouldn't notice, she tried to distract herself by collecting her scarf and her purse from under the table. "Are we ready to go?"

Daniel had noticed the slow heat that had risen from her neck, but decided that this was not the time to explore what had caused it. "I think so." He turned to Wilma, who had just returned to the table. "How much do I owe you for dinner?" He asked as he reached for his wallet.

"Nothing, honey – the perks of having an expense account." She gave him a sweeping look from head to toe. "But I'd hate for you to feel that you were in my debt. Maybe we could arrange something . . . "

Jason quickly stepped between his wife and her latest victim. "Now, hon, what did we decided about you trying to pick up other men?"

Wilma pouted. "Only if they bring another woman for you."

"Exactly." Jason smiled at Daniel, noting the slight look of panic that had appeared on the man's face. "Oh, not to worry, Daniel. She's mostly joking."

Mark gave Daniel a friendly slap on the back. "Take it as a compliment – it makes it easier to deal with the fact that your co-worker's best friend tried to hit on you."

"Repeatedly." All three women chimed in together.

Daniel had to laugh. "Well, I'm both deeply flattered and deeply disturbed." He leaned over and placed a quick kiss on Wilma's cheek. "Thank you."

"What can I say, I'm a sucker for blue eyes." Wilma shrugged and turned to her husband. "Which would explain why I keep you, despite your unrelenting need to be everywhere 10 minutes early."

"Hey, you love me and you know it." Jason gathered his wife in his arms and proceeded to give her a kiss that would have rivaled Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh's in 'Gone With the Wind'.

"And on that somewhat disturbing note – oh just get a room, you two – we should probably start the dessert portion of this evening." Paige announced.

"Sounds good." Elisha agreed. "I've been dreaming of the famous Aunt Shirley brownies all week."

"Ok, then Daniel and I should get going so I can get everything ready." Abbie glanced at her watch. "Give me about 45 minutes or so, that should be enough time."

"I'll go grab our coats," Daniel offered as he retrieved their coat check tickets from his pocket. "Meet you by the door?"

Abbie smiled. "Sure. Thank you."

"Ok." He hesitated for a moment, and came to a decision. He leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Abbie's cheek, then walked away.

Abbie could only stand there, unable to move or do anything other than stare at Daniel's retreating form. _Did he just . . ._ He must have, because her supposed best friends were shrieking and laughing like a bunch of 15 year old girls at a Backstreet Boys concert.

xxxxxxx

_**For those about to review, I salute you.**_

xxxxxxx


	6. The Peanut Gallery

TITLE: "Dinner & Dessert"

AUTHOR: Me! Oh, uh, Verb

RATING: T, I would think. More towards the end, really. I'm no good at this rating thing, but if you're 13 or have the maturity of one, I think you can handle it.

CATEGORY: Humor, Daniel/Other, unapologetic snark.

SUMMARY: What's a little dinner and dessert among friends?

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable Stargate SG-1 characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. This story and other publicly unrecognized events or characters therein are copyrighted to the author and may not be used or reproduced in entirety or in parts without express permission of the author.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Round 4 everybody! Another story for me, different since so far I've always written established characters in the Stargate universe. Thought I'd give this a try. Much thanks to Dessert Blossom-by-the-Sea for a much needed double round of beta'ing as well as encouragement. Please read and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6 – The Peanut Gallery 

"Abbie, you better promise that you're going to keep a hold on that one." Elisha laughed.

"Oh, yeah – he's a keeper." Paige echoed her friend's sentiments. "Smart, funny, very intelligent – not to mention cute as hell!"

"And he can dance," Jason pointed out. "You guys danced for almost an hour without even knowing it." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "I wonder if he had to take lessons?"

Abbie tried her best to protest the overflow of opinions. "He's technically my boss – I don't think that I really have an option to 'keep' him. Not a good idea."

"Of course it's a good idea!" Wilma insisted. "I mean, have you seen his butt?"

"I'm sure she has, Wilma, she does work with the man!" Paul said.

"Yeah, but she's probably been paying more attention to his arms, if you know what I mean." Mark wiggled his eyebrows. "Nash always did have problems concentrating around men in suits."

"Ok, enough!" Abbie exploded. "As disturbing as this conversation has been, I think it's my decision as to what happens from here, ok? No more comments from the peanut gallery."

"But we must be heard!" Wilma protested

"Who else is going to point out that that man is obviously interested in you?" Paige insisted.

Elisha spoke up. "Because you haven't-"

"And won't," Mark interrupted

"- figured it out for yourself." Elisha finished. "Think of us like your Fairy Godparents – we just want you to be happy."

"And, honey, Daniel could make sure that happens." Wilma assured her. "You just need to let him."

Abbie gave her friends an incredulous stare. "You guys are nuts, you know that right?"

"Maybe," Paige admitted. "But we know attraction when we see it. And it's about time that you did too."

Abbie considered all of her friend's words. She knew that she felt something more than just friendship for Daniel – that much she could admit. And until tonight, she was fairly sure those feelings were one sided. But the fact that he had agreed to dinner with her and her crazy friends, danced with her, and gave her a kiss, made her believe that more was possible. Possible, but not necessarily probably.

"Ok, you guys, I give." Abbie held up her hands in a gesture of surrender. "I am not going to talk about this anymore. Just promise me you won't get too lost on your way to my house, ok?" She glanced over at the restaurant's entrance and saw Daniel waiting. "I'll see you guys there in about 45 minutes?" She received nods from each of them, and gave them each a quick hug before making her way over to Daniel. He helped her into her jacket, and then the two of them made their way out to the parking lot.

Elisha let out a sigh. "You think those two are ever wake up and see what's right in front of them?"

"He will," Paige stated with confidence. "I talked with him while the rest of you were getting your 'groove' on, to quote my husband at one time or another."

Paul helped his wife into her coat. "And what, exactly, makes you so sure, oh wise one?"

Paige gave Paul a tolerant smile. "Did you see them dancing? There's no way you get that close to someone you consider only a coworker."

"Well good for them," Elisha said. "Daniel struck me as a bit lonely, he didn't say much about any past relationships during dinner."

Paige gave Elisha a soft smile. "He's a widower."

Wilma groaned. "Ok, I officially feel really bad about trying to touch his butt."

Jason turned to his two remaining male counterparts. "How about we go get the van? I have a feeling it's about to get very girly in here."

Mark slapped Jason on the back. "I always knew you were a smart man."

Paul turned to his wife. "We'll pull the van right up to the door so you don't have to walk as far."

She smiled. "Thank you." Paige gave him a small peck on the cheek.

"We'll meet you at the van, ladies." Mark gave them a sloppy salute as the men made their way outside.

"I need help." Wilma muttered to herself.

Paige turned back to Wilma and Elisha. "I wouldn't worry about it, Wilma – I think he was having too much fun to notice. Besides, he spent most of the night stealing glances at Nash."

Elisha let out a snort. "Why do men do that? I mean, we can tell when they stare."

"We can, but Abbie can't," Paige pointed out. "But I think that might have started to change, at least where Daniel is concerned."

"Oh, I'd say she's definitely starting to get the message." Elisha agreed. "I mean, I'm pretty sure that if they had danced any closer together, they would have been wearing the same pair of pants."

"That's what I said!" exclaimed Wilma. "But if it's taken them two years of working together to finally admit to themselves that they have some more-than-friendly feelings, how long is it going to take for them to just cut the crap and jump each other?"

Wilma's comment made both Paige and Elisha burst out into laughter. "I seriously doubt Nash would put it that way, Wilma." Paige pointed out. "But I think that they might be able to move past that tonight, if they would just stop over thinking everything and just feel."

Elisha let a wistful smile appear on her face. "They really are more alike then they realize. Rubik's complex, both of them."

"That's what I said!" Paige mimicked Wilma's outburst.

"Oh shut up." Wilma gave her friend a playful smack on the arm. "Essentially, what you're saying is that, if we leave Daniel and Nash to their own devices, things will start to . . . progress?"

"Exactly."

Elisha took a look at her watch. "Well, if we're going to give them time, I figure we have at least another half hour before we can arrive at her house."

Wilma gave her a wicked smile. "Then let's drag those husbands of ours out of that van and play some pool!"

xxxxxxx

_**For those about to review, I salute you.**_

xxxxxxx


	7. Captain Obvious

TITLE: "Dinner & Dessert"

AUTHOR: Me! Oh, uh, Verb

RATING: T, I would think. More towards the end, really. I'm no good at this rating thing, but if you're 13 or have the maturity of one, I think you can handle it.

CATEGORY: Humor, Daniel/Other, unapologetic snark.

SUMMARY: What's a little dinner and dessert among friends?

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable Stargate SG-1 characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. This story and other publicly unrecognized events or characters therein are copyrighted to the author and may not be used or reproduced in entirety or in parts without express permission of the author.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Round 4 everybody! Another story for me, different since so far I've always written established characters in the Stargate universe. Thought I'd give this a try. Much thanks to Dessert Blossom-by-the-Sea for a much needed double round of beta'ing as well as encouragement. Please read and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 7 – Captain Obvious

"And then the next left. The house third from the corner is mine." Abbie instructed Daniel as he maneuvered the car into her house's driveway.

"You live a lot closer to the base than I thought," Daniel observed.

Abbie opened the car door and stepped out onto the driveway. "And what made you think that I lived farther away?"

He gave her a grin as they made their way up her front steps. "You're always late to work. I assumed it was traffic related."

She gave a short laugh and pulled out her house keys. "No, it's more 'can't get my butt out of bed' related, unfortunately." She unlocked the door, inviting Daniel into the front hall. "I've never been a morning person."

"I'll keep that in mind." Daniel took in what parts of the house he could see from the front entrance. To his left was a small, warm looking living room, furnished with what looked to be a large, overstuffed couch with matching loveseat and a reasonably sized TV. To his right was the hall closet, beyond that a staircase that led to the second floor.

"Here, let me get your coat." Abbie had opened the closet and was standing with her arm outstretched to take his coat, wondering why he suddenly found the staircase so fascinating. Daniel shrugged off his coat and handed it to her. He let his fingers brush hers as he did so, on purpose or not he couldn't really be sure. But he was sure that she felt the same spark that traveled through his body when they touched.

Abbie had indeed felt it, the sudden electric shock that had started at her fingertips and coursed down her spine. It seemed to sever the link between her brain and her body, because she was having problems forming coherent sentences. She concentrated for the moment on hanging up his jacket, trying not to notice the smell of his aftershave that lingered around the collar.

"So, uh, the kitchen is this way, if you want to give me a hand," she said as she started to walk towards the room in question.

"Sure," he answered. "I must admit I'm curious to see what it is that takes almost half an hour to be ready for dessert."

Abbie gestured for him to take a seat in one of the chairs placed around her kitchen table. Making sure he was settled, she went behind the counter, opened the fridge, and pulled out a cake pan. "This is what all the fuss is about." She placed the pan on the counter.

Daniel got up and stood on the opposite side of the counter. "Looks like cake batter."

Abbie rolled her eyes. "Thank you, Captain Obvious."

"So, you mean that the 15 minutes of uncensored, uncontrollable, and almost unending discussion I had to endure, courtesy of your friend Elisha, was all for cake batter?"

Abbie shook her head and turned toward the oven. "You know, for a man with three Ph.D.'s, you can be awfully dense sometimes."

"Thank you."

"Anytime." She set the oven, then turned back to Daniel. "Actually, you were only half right. It's brownie batter, not cake batter."

Daniel looked back to the pan and gave it a thorough inspection. "It does appear to be more chocolaty that your average cake."

"Oh, it is," Abbie assured him. "There's a reason Wilma called it the killer brownie. It's from an old recipe my Aunt Shirley gave me a few years back."

Daniel made his way to Abbie's side of the counter and did his best to lean casually against it. "And I take it you made it for one of your 'chick chat' nights?"

Abbie made a face at his use of the 'chick chat' label, but decided to let it slide for the moment. "About three years ago we were all just too tried to go out – we had all just finished really big projects and could barely get off the couch." She smiled as she remembered that particular night. "Wilma ended up ordering us enough Chinese food to last Teal'c a week, and then declared that we would require massive amounts of chocolate to finish off the evening. I made the mistake of mentioning I had just gotten Aunt Shirley's recipe-"

"And Wilma insisted that you give it a try," Daniel anticipated the story's inevitable conclusion.

"Exactly. So, armed with my general knowledge of all things brownie related, I embarked on the time honoured pursuit of all things good and chocolaty."

Daniel gave a small chuckle. "Your friends seem to have a flair for the dramatic." He paused. "Especially Wilma."

Abbie noted the caution that lurked behind his laughter. "She didn't upset you, did she? I mean, she's always been the biggest flirt I've ever seen, but she'd never mean to bother you at all. Believe it or not, she and Jason really love each other and-"

Daniel stopped what was sure to be a rambling apology for her friend's behaviour by placing two of his fingers over her lips. "You don't need to apologize, Abbie. Eight years of being hit on by alien women has taught me a few things."

His last comment brought a tiny smile to her face. She started taking as soon as his fingers left her lips in an attempt to curb her irrational need for him to leave them where they were. "Maybe that's true. But that still doesn't excuse-"

"Abbie, it's ok! Really!" Daniel interrupted her again. "It was more fun than I've had in a long time. And, in your own defense, you did warn me before we got there that she was a handful."

She eyed him warily. "Are you sure that everything's ok?"

"Better than ok." He gave her a reassuring look. "Jason has some really interesting stories about some of his clients. Should he even be telling people about those things?"

Abbie checked the temperature of the oven. "Technically, all of those cases are a matter of public record. As long as none of the information was privileged or classified as lawyer-client confidential, anyone could look up the transcripts of the proceedings." She looked back up to see Daniel giving her what could only be described as look of pure awe. "What?"

He made a 'Are you kidding me?' gesture with his hands.

"I did a brief stint as a law student," she confessed. "I wasn't completely convinced I wanted to continue with my cryptology courses, so I did a few summer classes to help sort things out. That's how I ended up learning all that Latin that has helped so much with the recent batch of translations."

Daniel pondered this new bit of information. Tonight had been filled with details he hadn't previously known about Abbie's personal life, and he was finding that the more he uncovered about the beautiful woman standing next to him, the more he wanted to know.

He watched as she pulled out a pair of oven mitts and opened the door to the oven. She leaned over him to pick up the brownie pan, and he caught a whiff of what must have been the shampoo she used. It smelled sharp and clean, with a little bit of lemon and something he had classified during their dance as 'Abbie'. She moved away much too soon for his liking.

Abbie was proud of herself for working up the nerve to get so close to Daniel. She had though for a second when she realized she would have to lean over him in order to grab the brownie pan, and had momentarily entertained notions of just asking him to pass it to her. Taking comfort in the words Paige had said as she had left the restaurant, she managed to reach the pan, closing the distance between their bodies. Both her heart and her breathing skyrocketed, but she managed to hold it together and get the brownies in the oven without dropping it. She set the timer for fifteen minutes, then turned around again to face Daniel.

She gave him a slightly shaky smile as she noticed that his normally crystal blue eyes were darker, a look of deep concentration on his face. "So, um . . ." She searched her mind for something to say, anything to avoid talking about what exactly was causing him to stare at her so intently. "Did you want something to drink, tea or something? Because there's really nothing else to do until the brownie is ready."

"Sure, tea sounds great." Daniel was relieved – tea would be the perfect way to keep him occupied. For a second, he had wanted to pull Abbie right up against him and kiss her senseless. Tea would be a welcome distraction.

"Ok, tea it is," she agreed as she pulled a kettle out of the cupboards to the right of the stove. "Paige isn't drinking coffee these days anyway."

"I don't blame her," Daniel agreed. "She probably ran across a million studies about the harmful effect of caffeine on children still in the – What are you doing?"

Abbie looked up from where she stood above the sink, filling the kettle with water. "Making tea. What does it look like I'm doing."

Daniel gave the alleged kettle a critical look. "Is that . . . 'thing' made out of plastic?"

Abbie gave a little snort. "Wow. You really are Captain Obvious," she said as she put the lid back on the kettle.

Daniel's eyes scrunched, producing all the forehead wrinkles Abbie had even seen. "But, if you put that on the stove to boil, it's going to melt," he protested

"It doesn't go on the stove." She pointed to an electrical cord extending from the bottom of the kettle. "You plug it in to an outlet, push this little button down, and give it a few minutes." She removed the lid and gestured to the inside of the kettle. "There's a giant coil in there that heats up and boils the water."

Daniel shook his head. "I've never seen an electric kettle before."

"You mean in all of you world and planetary travels, you never went to Canada?" she asked. "This is the only kind of kettle we have up there. It freaked me out when I moved to New York and all they had were those metal stove top ones."

"Yeah, that's the kind I have."

"Everybody around here does. I had to get this baby shipped from my parent's house in Toronto."

Daniel just stood still for a moment, unable to stop the anthropologist in him from asking more questions. "So, ok, but then where does the actual tea go?"

Abbie gave him a patient smile. She knew he was endless curious about everything new that crossed his path, and it seemed that common kitchen appliances were no exception. "I do have a teapot for that. Actually, could you get it for me? Top shelf, behind you, on the left."

"Sure." Daniel turned around and opened the cupboard door, easily spotting a small, brilliantly blue ceramic pot. He reached in and lifted it, truing back around and placing it on top of the counter. "This is very nice."

"Thanks. A friend of mine brought it back from England for me a few years back," she explained. "He said the colour reminded him of me, which I never really understood."

Daniel watched as she pulled out a box of tea, trying to focus on her methodical actions. The second she had said a friend, a _male_ friend, had purchased the teapot for her, he had instantly known why. The small piece of ceramic was the same colour as her eyes.

He cleared his throat. "Uh, he?"

Abbie's lips curved into a small smile. "Yeah, his name is Craig. I met him during my second doctorate."

"Anthropology?" Daniel asked.

Abbie nodded. "I took a year in Australia to do some work with the Aborigines. He was one of the grad students from the local university assigned to help get the international students used to life in Sydney."

"Oh."

"Yeah. He's a really great guy – nice, funny, smart as hell. He was a wiz with just about everything, not to mention he constantly reminded me to put on more sunscreen."

"I see." Daniel was still unsure of what kind of relationship Abbie and Craig had, but he didn't want to pry too much into her personal life. He couldn't help but feel a small sting of irrational jealousy.

The look on Daniel's face and his tone of voice confused Abbie. Their conversation had somehow changed, though she couldn't figure out why. She studied Daniel, hoping to get a clue as to what was bothering him. His eyes were focused on the tiles of her kitchen floor, a small frown visible on his face. His hands seemed unable to keep still, as he was fiddling with one of the bags of tea she had placed on the counter. _What could he possibly be thinking about . . . _Realization hit her like a bolt of lightening. It was Craig. She had mentioned another man and it had put him off balance, the last thing in the world she had wanted to do.

"He was a great guy, very much like the older brother I never had," she said quickly, hoping he would believe her honest explanation. "We still keep in touch. I get a wonderful Christmas card from him and his wife every year."

Daniel looked back up, unable to fully hide the hopeful look that appeared on his face. "Wife?"

Abbie smiled encouragingly at him. "Anita – married four years now." She held up a finger, a sign for him to stay put as he left the kitchen and walked into the living room. She returned with a picture which she handed to him.

Daniel studied the picture. Two smiling faces stared back at him, both blonde and so stereotypically Australian looking that the looked as though they were the photo that had come with the frame.

"Look just like the picture that came with the frame, don't they?" Abbie asked.

Daniel looked up from the photo and smiled. "I was just thinking that."

Abbie slid a little closer to Daniel, almost so their arms were touching. She grabbed hold of one side of the frame and tilted it towards her, smiling as she saw her friend's happy faces. "I assure you, they are real people. A little larger than life, but very real."

Daniel released his hold on the photograph, but was loath to move from Abbie's side. He could feel the warmth of her arm through the thin material of his dress shirt, and he could feel his body absorbing it with a welcoming need. "They look nice."

"Oh, they are," Abbie confirmed. "They're just a little intense. Well, that and it's impossible to understand Craig when he gets excited – the accent just gets out of control!"

Daniel laughed. "I knew someone like that."

Abbie searched her memory. "Sarah?"

"Yeah." He gave a small smile. "I always had trouble understanding her when she discovered something new."

Abbie nodded, unsure what to say. Part of her job was to keep up to date on all off world missions, since most of the objects and texts that occupied her time came from those excursions. She had also read all of the briefings from SG-1's past missions, since she found that, as the frontline team, they always managed to have contact with most of the languages she worked with. Plus, Jack's reports were always entertaining. Abbie tried to make sense of the feelings running through her, and settled on asking how Sarah was doing.

"Good. Really good. She's back in Chicago, helping Steven with his new book." He caught Abbie's gaze and smiled. "They'll be married in October."

"Oh?" Abbie was sure the surprise on her face was clearly obvious.

"Apparently, Steven really helped her adjust to life after Osiris. I got the invitation last week." Daniel went back to playing with the tea bag he had trapped in his hands.

Abbie nodded her understanding and watched as he fiddled with the tea. It was clear that he was feeling torn about the invitation. "And are you going to go?" she asked softly.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I'm very glad Sarah was able to reestablish her life, but I'm not sure it's appropriate for me to . . . to go."

Abbie gently pulled the tea bag from his hands and gave him a smile when the action made him look up. "I think you should go. If they invited you, then I would think they've gotten over whatever problems the three of you had in the past."

"Maybe," he admitted. "But there were a lot of big problems."

She gave him a disbelieving look, complete with an eyebrow raise. "Bigger than having a parasitical being take over the body of your former girlfriend, then trying to kill the man that she's now about to marry?"

Daniel couldn't help the laughter her comment caused. "I guess you're right."

"I know I am. Besides, weddings mean wedding cake. You can't miss out on that."

It was Daniel's turn to give her a look. "You sure you're not related to Jack?"

"Nope." Abbie said as she made her way back over to the oven. "We just know what's important in life." She grabbed the oven mitts and pulled open the oven door, checking to see the progress of the brownies. "Almost ready. I think they need an extra five minutes or so." A click sound came from the counter to her right. "And the water's ready for the tea."

"Here, I can take care of that for you." Daniel moved closer to the counter and unplugged the kettle. "This is the strangest thing I have ever seen."

Abbie laughed and shook her head. "This from the man who touched an 'ordinary' mirror and was transported to an alternate reality. Twice."

"Hey, the kettles in both of those realities were normal." He gave her a wink.

xxxxxxx

_**For those about to review, I salute you.**_

(Seriously, I do. You guys are absolutely awesome – thanks so much for the great feedback!)

xxxxxxx


	8. Water & Smoke

TITLE: "Dinner & Dessert"

AUTHOR: Me! Oh, uh, Verb

RATING: T, I would think. More towards the end, really. I'm no good at this rating thing, but if you're 13 or have the maturity of one, I think you can handle it.

CATEGORY: Humor, Daniel/Other, unapologetic snark.

SUMMARY: What's a little dinner and dessert among friends?

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable Stargate SG-1 characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. This story and other publicly unrecognized events or characters therein are copyrighted to the author and may not be used or reproduced in entirety or in parts without express permission of the author.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Round 4 everybody! Another story for me, different since so far I've always written established characters in the Stargate universe. Thought I'd give this a try. Much thanks to Dessert Blossom-by-the-Sea for a much needed double round of beta'ing as well as encouragement. Please read and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 8 – Water & Smoke

Abbie gave him a playful slap with one of her oven mitts and moved to a cupboard, pulling out a strange collection of mugs as he filled up the blue teapot with hot water and added a few tea bags. Abbie couldn't help but enjoy the little domestic scene, a little startled to find the situation comfortable, almost as if they had done this before.

Daniel's thoughts were similar. He had always known Abbie was funny, a few nights at O'Malley's spent with the rest of SG-1 had revealed her wicked sense of humour. But tonight, seeing her relax and among her friends had really highlighted to him how sharp she really was. He could admit that he was enjoying this, being in her kitchen and acting like he belonged there. "So, got a question for you."

"I'm shocked."

Daniel pouted in an all out attempt to appear wounded.

Abbie snuck a look at Daniel just as his eyes went into what the nurses called 'puppy-dog mode'. _Damn, no wonder they all try to keep him in the infirmary._ "Sorry, couldn't stop myself." She gave him an apologetic shrug.

"Apology accepted." He smiled at her. "My question is why did you not cook the brownie beforehand?"

"Well," Abbie explained as she took out a cooling rack from underneath the sink, "the theory is that the last time I made brownies, I was a bit short on time and they were ready just as the ladies stumbled into my doorway one night. Elisha claims they taste better this way." Her face contorted into a small frown as she set the rack on the kitchen table. "But I think it's just an excuse for them to trap me in the kitchen and tease me about my otherwise non-existent cooking skills."

Daniel had to laugh. "I'm sure they only tease because they care."

Abbie smiled and walked over to the counter to stand beside him. "Either that or they're just using me to get to the brownies."

"Well, I promise that I'm here because of you, not the brownie," he said softly and turned to face her.

Abbie's eyes fell to the floor, knowing that a blush was rising over her cheeks. "Thank you."

She felt a hand hook under her chin, forcing her to raise her head. When she looked up, she saw Daniel standing inches from her, an unmistakable look of want on his face. The thought that he might feel something like that for her sent a shiver down her spine.

Daniel had been fighting the urge to touch her ever since he had let her go after their dance. His cautious mind had lost the battle the second the blush appeared on her neck, and he watched as the heat traveled up into the cheeks of her face with an uninhibited fascination. He reached out his hand and cupped her chin, enjoying the feel of her soft skin. He lifted her face up to meet his gaze and was surprised to see something he could only describe as desire reflected in her blue eyes.

She gave him a small smile when she realized he knew exactly what was running through her mind. "Hi."

"Hi." He managed to get out. Daniel's body didn't seem to be responding to any signals from the rational part of his brain. He was running on his senses, what he could feel, hear, think and before he knew it, he had slipped his hand behind her neck and was pulling her towards him. He watched as her eyes closed, feeling her hands gripping the front of his shirt, tugging him closer.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Abbie jumped, the sound of the oven timer going off causing her to crash into Daniel. She opened her eyes and was greeted by a sheepish look on Daniel's face, almost as if he had been caught trying to sneak cookies before dinner. She was sure her face reflected all the embarrassment she was feeling as realized just how close together they were standing, just exactly where her hand were.

Not really sure what else to do, she grabbed her oven mitts and pulled the brownie out, carrying it over to the table and setting it down on the cooling rack. She turned around and faced Daniel. She knew he had been about to kiss her; she just hoped that he had seen how much she had wanted him to. Her thoughts tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them. "I'm sorry about . . . I mean, I shouldn't have tried to . . .but I didn't want you to think that I didn't want to and-"

"No, Abbie, you have nothing to be sorry for." Daniel maneuvered around the counter to where she stood and grasp her hands in his. "It was me, I couldn't . . . I couldn't stop myself,' he admitted.

Abbie kept her eyes glued to the floor, but felt a warm tingle spread through her body as his confession. "So does that mean that you wanted to . . ."

"Very much." He looked at her over the top of his glasses. "I still want to." The smile that lit up her face was all the confirmation Daniel needed. He pulled her up against him, putting one hand to grip her waist as the other reached up to tangle in her hair. He felt her hands glide up his back to rest at the base of his neck. Daniel leaned into her, guiding her lips to meet his.

DING DONG

"If that's Mark, I swear I'm going to kill him."

Abbie let out a sight and rested her forehead against Daniel's. "And how do you know it was him?"

"It has to be. I saw you two dancing - he's got the worst timing of anyone I've ever seen."

"Well, if you kill him, you'll probably be arrested, convicted and sent to jail." She pulled back and gave him a grin. "Then I'd have to run the entire linguistic department on my own, and I really don't need the extra paperwork."

"Good point." Daniel slowly untangled his hand from her hair. "But you'd come to prison and visit me, right?"

Abbie gave him a mock serious look. "Oh, of course." She reached up to smooth down the front of his shirt. "I'd even bring you extra notebooks."

DING DING DONG DING DING DA-DONG

Abbie released his shirt and sighed. "Would you mind answering that before Paul breaks my doorbell?"

"And how do you know that it's Paul?"

DING DING DONG DONG DONG

"Recognize the tune at all?"

Daniel quickly replayed the sound of the doorbell in his mind. "You've got to be kidding."

"Nope. The man's a diehard Deep Purple fan."

"Your friends are crazy." He dropped a quick kiss on her nose, figuring that would have to do for the time being and exited the kitchen, headed for the front door. "But that's probably what makes them so fun."

xxxxxxx

_**For those about to review, I salute you.**_

(Well, I did promise you guys a kiss. I just didn't promise it anytime soon. But please do leave your thoughts - even if it's to yell at me for the almost kiss. Just, you know, yell quietly. :) )

xxxxxxx


	9. Unfinished Business

TITLE: "Dinner & Dessert"

AUTHOR: Me! Oh, uh, Verb

RATING: T, I would think. More towards the end, really. I'm no good at this rating thing, but if you're 13 or have the maturity of one, I think you can handle it.

CATEGORY: Humor, Daniel/Other, unapologetic snark.

SUMMARY: What's a little dinner and dessert among friends?

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable Stargate SG-1 characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. This story and other publicly unrecognized events or characters therein are copyrighted to the author and may not be used or reproduced in entirety or in parts without express permission of the author.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Round 4 everybody! Another story for me, different since so far I've always written established characters in the Stargate universe. Thought I'd give this a try. Much thanks to Dessert Blossom-by-the-Sea for a much needed double round of beta'ing as well as encouragement. Please read and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 9 - Unfinished Business

Abbie took a moment to calm down. She felt like she was stuck to the floor, unable to move until her brain had fully processed what had happened. Daniel Jackson, quite possibly the smartest and most attractive man she had ever known, had just tried to kiss her. _In my own _kitchen_ for crying out loud. _Abbie decided that Paige must have had quite the interesting talk with him. She grinned, simply happy that, for once, something in her guy-related life had worked out.

She grabbed the brownie pan off of the table and placed it on the kitchen counter with the intention of cutting it up. She figured once her friends descend on the kitchen, nothing short of a zat blast would come between them and the dessert.

"So, how did things go?" Paige asked as she made her way into the kitchen and plopped herself down in one of the chairs surrounding the table.

Wilma waltzed into the room and spoke before Abbie could say a word. "Well, Daniel was still wearing his shirt when he answered the door, so, not as planned."

Abbie blushed and avoided Paige's question. "I was wondering what was taking you guys so long. How lost did you get, exactly?"

"Well, you know me and directions, Nash," Paul answered as he and the rest of the group entered the kitchen. "The wife says make a right, I accidentally make a left, Wilma slaps me upside the head, and Mark starts singing 'Highway to Hell'."

"So just a normal Sunday night drive. Are those brownies?" Wilma went straight to the counter, reaching out her hand towards the pan.

"Ah!" Abbie used one of her oven mitts to slap her hand away. "They just came out of the oven, so don't touch."

Elisha laughed from where she had settled in next to Paige. "Paul, maybe you should lend Wilma the book we gave you two about teaching your children proper behaviour in the kitchen."

"I doubt it would help," Jason joined in. "What makes you think she'll learn proper behaviour at all, let alone pertaining to a specific room?"

"True." Elisha admitted as she pretended to hide behind Mark from Wilma's death glare.

"Do you need help with anything?"

Daniel's soft voice surprised Abbie. Somehow, in the flurry of activity as everyone had trouped into the small kitchen, Daniel had moved to her side, with one hand placed on the small of her back. His whispered question sent a small shiver down her spine, something he felt as well if the smile on his face was anything to go by.

She stood on her tiptoes and whispered back. "You want to ask if everyone wants tea?"

"Sure." He planted a kiss in her hair and moved to the end of the counter. "Anyone want tea?"

"What kind?" Wilma asked.

"Let me check . . ." Daniel reached for the box and did a quick check. "Lemon mist."

Wilma shared a look with her husband. "Sure, sounds great. One for Jason as well."

"Mark, Elisha?"

Mark spoke before Elisha could make a sound. "Tea would be great, Daniel, thanks. Closely followed by the biggest brownie Nash can spare before my wife goes into chocolate withdrawal."

Abbie chuckled. "I do the best I can. Everybody want ice cream with their brownie?"

"I do," Paige said as the rest nodded their agreement. "And, Daniel, could I get a glass of milk instead of the tea? The caffeine will keep me up all night."

Daniel nodded. "No problem. Paul?"

"Same for me. No point in me being up all night if Paige won't be awake to keep me out of trouble."

Daniel laughed. "Ok. Four teas and two glasses of milk coming up." He moved to stand behind Abbie, reaching for the same shelf he had watched her pull the mugs out of earlier and grabbed two glasses.

Paige kept an eye on Daniel as he went to the fridge while the rest of her friends slipped into a loud conversation, seeing how well he navigated Abbie's kitchen, almost as if he had lived there all his life. She couldn't help but notice that he constantly placed himself within touching distance of Abbie, casually crossing into her personal space to talk with her. When Daniel had answered the door, she could tell by the slight blush on his face and the goofy grin that had accompanied it that their arrival had interrupted something. And, if Abbie's blush at Wilma's shirt comment was anything to go by, that 'something' had not been of a professional nature.

"Ok," Abbie announced, interrupting the various conversations taking place. "Brownies are ready. We eating in here or the living room?"

Elisha stood up to snag two bowls off the counter. "I vote living room." She passed one of the bowls to Paige and attacked the second one with a spoon. "We can watch a movie if everyone can agree on one."

Mark tried to look pained as his wife passed the dessert over his head to Paige. "Hey!"

Elisha patted his shoulder. "Do you really want to get between a pregnant woman and her chocolate?"

The light in Mark's brain went off. "Ah. Good point." He and the rest of the group stood and accepted a bowl and their cup of tea or milk from Daniel.

"So, living room?" Jason asked.

"Sure. Although, I think we'll have to pass on the movie," Wilma said. "Very early day tomorrow."

Paige made her way out of her seat with Paul's help. "Same for us. I don't want to stay up too late." She smiled at Abbie. "Need to get Paul to bed at a decent hour or he gets cranky."

All seven people laughed at the look of indignation that appeared on Paul's face. "I do not get cranky," he protested.

"Oh, give it up, Paul," Jason called out as he guided Wilma into the living room. "You know you need your beauty sleep."

Mark and Elisha laughed as they followed their friends into the living room with Paul three steps behind them, itching to defend himself.

Abbie shook her head. "I'm not sure giving those two any more sugar is a good idea."

Paige made a dismissing motion with her hands. "Oh, you know Jason – he just likes to force Paul into full-argument mode so he doesn't get bored with himself."

Daniel moved to stand by Paige's side and gently griped her arm. "Are you ok getting into the living room?"

"I think so," Paige assured him. "But if I go into labour between here and the living room, I'll give you a shout."

Both Daniel and Abbie started to laugh as she disappeared down the hall. Abbie managed to calm down first. "You told her about delivering the baby on Argos?"

"I did." His voice was still unsteady from laughter. "While you and Paul were dancing."

Abbie handed Daniel his dessert bowl. "It was nice that you two had something to talk about."

"She's very easy to talk to." Daniel agreed.

Abbie nodded and picked up her bowl, noting that serious expression had appeared on his face. Unsure what it meant, she launched into a rambling speech.

"Daniel, it's getting really late, I'd understand if you wanted to go home." She bit her lip, nervous to here his response.

The serious look was quickly replaced with a smile. "Abbie, there is nowhere I'd rather be." He took the bowl from her hands, placing both on the counter. He reached out and set one of his arms around her waist, pulling her to him.

"Besides," he gave her a sexy grin, "we have some unfinished business." He cupped her chin and ran his thumb over her lower lip.

Abbie's brain had turned to mush the second his thumb had come into contact with her lips. But through the desire that clouded her brain, she knew that there was something they needed to talk about. "Daniel, are you sure? I mean, we work together and you're practically my boss and I know we're civilians but-"

"It doesn't matter, Abbie," Daniel interrupted. "For three reasons. One – frat rules only apply to the military. Two – Jack owes me for the time I helped him save the planet."

"Which time?"

Daniel laughed at the smirk on her face. "The fifth time. And three, I- " he paused and cleared this throat. "Three, I think that at this point, it's going to be impossible to resist kissing you every time I see you. I've stopped myself far too many times, and I'm not going to anymore."

Abbie thought for a second that she had heard him wrong. Not only had Daniel tried to kiss her tonight, but there had been times in the past he had wanted to. She gave him a smile so wide it started to hurt. "Me too."

Daniel let out a breath. "Really?"

"Really." Abbie reached up and grabbed the front collar of his shirt and pulled him down to meet her lips, intent on kissing him with all she had.

"Hey, you guys coming in here or what?" a voice from the living room called out.

Abbie sighed and pulled back. "You officially have my permission to kill Mark."

He smiled down at her. "Good to know." He reluctantly released his hold on her and handed over her dessert. "Think I could argue death by chocolate as a defense?" he said as he took a bite of his brownie.

Abbie considered it for a minute. "Worth a try. I'd buy it."

Daniel nodded as he chewed. "I think it would work. This is the best brownie I've ever had."

Abbie smiled. "Thanks."

"Nash! Get your butt in here before Mark tries to reenact the Battle of Amiens again!"

A worried look crossed Abbie's face. "We'd better get in there."

Daniel grabbed their cups of tea and followed her down the hallway. "I take it last time he did, something bad happened?"

Abbie nodded. "Let's just say that I had to buy a new TV and explain to my neighbours what that exploding sound was."

Daniel's eyes widened. "Oh."

xxxxxxx

_**For those about to review, I salute you.**_

xxxxxxx


	10. Tickets Plural?

TITLE: "Dinner & Dessert"

AUTHOR: Me! Oh, uh, Verb

RATING: T, I would think. More towards the end, really. I'm no good at this rating thing, but if you're 13 or have the maturity of one, I think you can handle it.

CATEGORY: Humor, Daniel/Other, unapologetic snark.

SUMMARY: What's a little dinner and dessert among friends?

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable Stargate SG-1 characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. This story and other publicly unrecognized events or characters therein are copyrighted to the author and may not be used or reproduced in entirety or in parts without express permission of the author.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Round 4 everybody! Another story for me, different since so far I've always written established characters in the Stargate universe. Thought I'd give this a try. Much thanks to Dessert Blossom-by-the-Sea for a much needed double round of beta'ing as well as encouragement. Please read and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 10 - Tickets Plural? 

" . . . and we ended up spending the entire night watching horror movies."

Abbie burst into the living room door, Daniel a second behind her, ready to use all of her required military self defense training to restrain Mark and prevent a reenactment of any battle of any kind by any means necessary. She was therefore surprised to see all six of her guests sitting nicely in various poses on and around her living room furniture. "Ok, I thought-"

"Yeah, about that," Mark wiggled around where he sat on the floor in front of the couch. "Wilma didn't want you two to be left in the kitchen all by yourself."

"And what did you mean by that, exactly?" Abbie managed to make her way into the living room and sat down on the couch behind Mark and motioned for Daniel to sit beside her.

"Oh, I just didn't want you guys to get bored in there without us to keep you company." Wilma tried but didn't quite pull off the innocent claim.

Paige shot her a smile from where she sat on the loveseat on the opposite side of the room with Paul. "Are you sure? Because I think your exact words were 'We're missing all of the hot and steamy stuff going on in the kitchen!' ".

Abbie's face flushed all the way to the roots of her hair. She tried to come up with a somewhat witty response, but her embarrassment rendered her unable to think. Daniel saved her the trouble.

"Don't worry, Wilma, the only thing steamy in that kitchen was the kettle." Daniel explained. "For now." He turned his gaze to Abbie in time to see the shy smile that spread over her face at his comment, inordinately pleased that he had been the one to cause it.

Elisha laughed at the exchange. "Finally, someone with a mind as dirty as Wilma's."

Daniel shrugged. "Well, I am an archeologist. Dirty is what I do."

Abbie had to laugh. She wasn't fooled by the innocent look that appeared on his face –she knew him too well for that. "Ok, moving on. I think we interrupted the conversation at hand when we walked in the room – something about horror movies?"

"That was me," Jason raised a hand and pointed at himself, almost dropping his dessert in the process. "We were talking about the movies Elisha and I rented last weekend. We got every horror movie we could think of – Psycho, The Shining, The Exorcist, a few Alfred Hitchcock movies, Scream, Sleepless in Seattle-"

"Wait, Sleepless in Seattle?" Abbie asked. "That's not a horror movie."

"Oh, I know, but that was the first time I'd seen it, and it scared the bejeebers out of me," Jason admitted.

Everyone but Wilma burst out into laughter. "Oh, really you guys, it's not that funny."

"Oh, but it is!" Paige had to pause and catch her breath. "Because we all know how much you love those mushy romantic comedies."

Daniel raised an eyebrow, a little surprised. "Oh really?"

"Yes, I distinctly remember spending a good portion of our university days being dragged to sappy chick flicks when Jason-" Abbie shot the man a dangerous look "-wouldn't go with Wilma."

Jason held up his hands in a placating gesture. "And I've been making it up to you ever since."

Abbie gave a small smile as Jason's comment launched half a dozen lively conversations among the group, sparking an argument about the real reason she had needed to buy another TV. She eventually sank back into the cushions of the couch and was pleasantly surprised to feel Daniel's arm curl around her shoulders. She looked up into his eyes and returned the grin that was spread across his face. He pulled her gently towards him, welcoming the warmth of her body as she settled against his side.

"So," Daniel whispered. "Are we having fun yet?"

Abbie reached up and ran her fingers over the side of his jaw. "I am."

"Good." Daniel gently pulled her hand away from his face. "Me too." He clasped her hand in his, and then became distracted when Paul called a question out to him and focused for the moment on answering. He didn't realize that he was gently gliding his thumb in small circles across the top of Abbie's hand as he did so.

The simple gesture was not missed by the others occupying the room. In fact, Paige was surprised the normally observant Abbie hadn't noticed the looks the three married couples had been shooting each other all night. She chalked it up to the fact that Abbie's focus was locked on a certain archeologist.

Paul, noticing that his wife's gaze had lingered on the couple currently occupying the couch, leaned over and whispered, "Think they need another round of 'alone time'?"

Paige gave him a small smile. "You read my mind. You've got to stop doing that."

Paul smirked. "I'll try." He stood up and stretched. "But no promises." He turned around and offered his hand. She shot him a 'Be good' look, then used his help to leverage herself off the loveseat.

"Paige, Paul? You guys on your way home?" Abbie asked, effectively halting the conversations that had been taking place.

"Yeah, I think it's about time to get going." Paul answered. "We've got a long drive ahead of us, and our car's at Mark and Elisha's place." Once he made sure his wife was steady on her feet, he crossed the room and tipped both Jason and Wilma off of their stools in one swift motion.

"Hey!" Wilma's indignant cry as she hit the floor caused the room to erupt in what could only legitimately be called a giggle fit. "Is that how you treat a lady?"

"Nope. But I figured it would be unfair to Jason."

Abbie laughed and held up her hand. "Ok, I think we've crossed a line."

Elisha grinned and pulled herself up from the foot of the couch. "Oh no, I'm pretty sure we crossed that line a long time ago." She stretched out her back as Jason, Wilma and Mark made their way off the floor. "But Paul's right – we'd all better get going. We've got to drop Mr. and Mrs. Hollywood over there at the airport bright and early tomorrow morning."

"Let's get your coats." Abbie reluctantly removed her hand from Daniel's and slid off the couch. "Anyone want brownie to take home?"

"Yes." All six answered simultaneously.

Abbie gave them an amused grin. "Ok then. Daniel, would you mind helping out with getting everyone their jackets?"

"Only if I get to take some brownies home with me." Daniel returned her smile.

"Sure." She reached out and gently squeezed his arm before turning around and walking into the hallway.

Daniel watched her until she disappeared into the kitchen. When he turned around to help locate everyone's jackets, he found himself on the receiving end of stares from six sets of eyes. He immediately felt his face start to flush under the intense scrutiny of Abbie's closest friends. "So, um . . ." His normal ability to negotiate the safety of his life under pressure failed him.

"Don't worry about it, Daniel." Paul made his way to the front hall closet and pulled it open, sorting through the coats and handing them to their owners. "Something tells me whatever you two decide, it's been a long time coming."

Elisha shrugged on her jacket. "Especially if the goofy grin permanently plastered on both of your faces is anything to go by."

Daniel cleared his throat and attempted to speak. "I know how important all of you are to Abbie, and it means a lot to me that you are ok with us starting a . . ." his voice trailed off as he searched for an appropriate word.

" A torrid, red hot love affair?" Wilma suggested.

"I was going to say 'relationship'." Daniel smiled and helped Paige into her coat. "But I will keep that other . . . thing . . . in mind."

"Just treat her well, Daniel." Paige said. "She's a great person – there's no one like her out there."

Daniel gave a solemn nod of his head. "I will."

"That's good. She's very special to all of us. So just be forewarned that I know a great many people in my line of work, some of whom owe me favours." Jason fixed him with a pointed look. "Don't make me use one of them."

Mark scoffed at the fleeting look of panic that had appeared on Daniel face and punched Jason in the arm. "Don't let Jason's tough guy act scare you, Daniel. Be much more afraid of Paige – she's the one with military connections."

Paige gave him a knowing smile. "Oh, Daniel and I have an understanding." She gave his arm a little squeeze. "He knows the most out of all of us what's at stake."

_No kidding_ Daniel thought. His talk with Paige at dinner had certainly set the wheels in motion, helping him to focus his emotion. He knew that he and Abbie were a long way from an official relationship, but he was determined to make it happen.

"Ok, here's brownies for everyone." Abbie walked back into the front hall and gave each of the women a container. "Hopefully that will be enough for all of you to share."

Mark pulled the container out of Elisha's hands. "For safekeeping," He said at the dirty look she gave him. "Have to make sure this actually makes it back home without any bite marks."

Jason jingled the keys at the group. "We ready?"

"You're driving, Jason?" Abbie asked as she moved closer to Daniel, slipping her hand into his. Her stomach did a little flip flop as his hand tightened around hers and gave a little squeeze.

"I figure I'd better if we actually want to make it to Mark and Elisha's house at a decent time. Mark drives like my seventy-year-old grandmother."

Paul made a face. "Yeah, well, at least nobody would have slapped a seventy-year-old grandmother upside her head."

Paige patted her husband's arm and gave him an indulgent smile. "That's right, dear. Think positive."

Abbie shook her head. "I'm going to miss you guys."

"Aw, we'll miss you too, Nash!" Paul grabbed her and pulled her into a bear hug. The group exchanged hugs and handshakes, with promises to get together the next month. Abbie then turned towards the door and unlocked it, holding it open for the lively bunch to make their way out to the van.

Wilma was the last one to leave through the door. A second after stepping outside, she turned around and threw an arm over Abbie's shoulder. "So, next month is at our place. I'll send you the tickets in two weeks or so."

A confused look crossed Abbie's face. "Tickets plural?"

Wilma gave her a sly grin. "Well, I figured, one for you, one for Dr. McDirty over there."

Abbie laughed and pulled Wilma into another hug. "You're horrible."

"Probably. But I expect details."

"I doubt there'll be any, but if there are, you'll be getting the edited version."

"Oh, trust me," Wilma said as the hug ended. "There will be details."

Abbie just shook her head as Wilma called out a final good bye to Daniel. She waved as the van pulled out of her driveway, then shut the door. She hesitated with her hand on the lock, a little nervous and unsure what she should do now that she and Daniel were alone.

xxxxxxx

_**For those about to review, I salute you.**_

**(One more chapter 'till the kissage, people!)**

xxxxxxx


	11. Worth It

TITLE: "Dinner & Dessert"

AUTHOR: Me! Oh, uh, Verb

RATING: T, I would think. More towards the end, really. I'm no good at this rating thing, but if you're 13 or have the maturity of one, I think you can handle it.

CATEGORY: Humor, Daniel/Other, unapologetic snark.

SUMMARY: What's a little dinner and dessert among friends?

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable Stargate SG-1 characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. This story and other publicly unrecognized events or characters therein are copyrighted to the author and may not be used or reproduced in entirety or in parts without express permission of the author.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Round 4 everybody! Another story for me, different since so far I've always written established characters in the Stargate universe. Thought I'd give this a try. Much thanks to Dessert Blossom-by-the-Sea for a much needed double round of beta'ing as well as encouragement. Please read and enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 11 – Worth It  
**(aka **The Kissage**)

Abbie felt his presence behind her, could almost feel his heat though the small space between them. She turned around, completely unprepared for the want that shone in his eyes. A little gasp escaped her lips as she felt his hands travel from her waist to her lower back, then watched as he traced a line up and down her arms. She gave him an embarrassed smile, the emotions coursing through her body threatening to take over. "Hi."

"Hi," He answered, sounding as breathless as she felt. A slow grin spread across his face, and he knew he had to ask the question they had been avoiding since her friends had barged in the door. "Are we really going to try this?"

She sucked in a deep breath and took a chance. "I want to."

Daniel searched her face, seeing a hint of doubt obscuring what he now knew were the same feelings he held for her. He inwardly cursed himself for putting that doubt in her mind. "So do I." He gave her an involuntary grin. "But do you think that we could leave your friends at home next time we have dinner?"

She pretended to look astonished as she wound her arms around his neck. "You don't like my friends?"

"Oh, of course I do." Daniel reassured. "I just prefer them at thirty to a hundred feet. That way, Wilma can't touch my butt."

Abbie gave him a smile. "Is that your subtle way of asking me out?"

"Maybe." He smirked at the confused look that passed over her face. "That depends on if you're going to say yes or not."

"Yes." The confused look was quickly replaced with a grin. "After all, I wouldn't want Jason's threat to be in vain."

He groaned and sipped his hands back around her waist, brushing against the soft material of her dress. "You heard that?"

"Every word." She paused and cocked her head, giving him a playful smirk. "Including the bit about the torrid love affair."

Daniel instantly recognized the half teasing, half serious tone of voice. "It's something to think about." He gave her what he hoped was a sexy smirk of his own.

"Yes it is." She agreed. She looked directly into his eyes, a serious look evident on her features. "But maybe we should try a few dates first."

"Sounds like a plan, oh special one." Daniel teased, using Jason's words as a way to change the look in her eyes to one of laugher.

"Special in a good way, I hope." She snaked her fingers through the hair at the base of his neck, drawing a shaky breath as his arms pulled her body into contact with his.

"In the very best way." He assured her as the hands that were resting on his neck gently pulled him closer to her face.

"Just checking." Her words were whispered against his lips seconds before he captured them in a heated kiss that had her head spinning and her pulse racing. She had spent the better part of two years dreaming about what kissing this man would be like, and she was not disappointed to discover it was everything she had hoped, plus a whole lot more. She was fairly sure the chills she felt were not due to the cold metal of the door at her back.

Daniel lost all rational though the second his lips had touched hers. Her lips were soft and responsive under his, returning his passion with a fire of her own. His hands roamed over her back seemingly of their own volition, one snaking into her hair to guide her to meet his kisses as he forced her to brace herself against the door. Eventually the need for oxygen caused Daniel to pull back slightly, breathing heavily as his gaze refocused on the woman in front of him. He had never seen anything so beautiful as the sight of Abbie, with her face flushed and her hair tousled from his touch, knowing that he had been the one to put that brilliant smile on her face.

Abbie had never been good at this kind of thing, but she must have done something right if the all out grin on Daniel's face was anything to go by. She defaulted to her awkward situation standby – humour. "On second thought, let's skip the dates."

Daniel's laugher vibrated through her chest, and she smiled at the sensation. "Well, we could," he agreed. "But if we don't go out for dinner, how are we going to be able to come back here for tea made in that freaky little kettle of yours?"

"So that's the only reason you're here. You have an unhealthy fascination with my kitchen appliances," she teased.

"I'll confess a fascination for several things in your kitchen." His gaze turned slightly predatory. "Especially if you happen to be there."

That look caused the momentary lapse in sanity that allowed Abbie to say exactly what she was thinking. "As long as the kitchen isn't the only room in this house you'd like to see me in." The reality of what she had just said rattled around in her mind, causing her eyes to hit the floor as a furious blush exploded over her face.

Daniel smiled as the words that had been running through his mind were spoken in a soft, almost seductive voice. He had to use all of his concentration to prevent himself from simply leaning in and taking possession of her lips again. He spoke, pitching his voice to match her seductive edge. "I can think of a few other rooms we could explore."

Abbie's fears at his reaction to her words all but vanished at the suggestive look that accompanied Daniel's statement. She studied his face, trying to think what she had done in her relatively boring life to deserve the affection of this wonderful man, who still had his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. But still, she needed to be sure. "Really?"

Daniel nodded and moved his hand to tangle in her hair, causing her eyes to close. "There are several places back at my apartment that I think would fit the bill."

Abbie opened her eyes and gave him a shy smile. "I like the sound of that." She wasn't sure who moved first, but all she knew was the warm feeling of Daniel's lips against hers, lost for the second time in the passion he seemed to unlock in her.

They broke apart when breathing again became necessary, Abbie placing her head on his chest and waiting for her pulse to return to normal. Daniel rested his chin on the top of her head, breathing in the now familiar scent of her shampoo.

He tried to ignore the slippage of time, delaying the inevitable as long as he possible could. He eventually pulled himself away from Abbie, noting the feeling of loss as he did so. "I should probably get going." He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Abbie sighed and nodded, not wanting to acknowledge that the night had to end. "Why? Got a hot date with some ancient Mayan scripts early tomorrow morning or something?"

He smiled as she retrieved his coat from the closet. "Something like that." She walked him the short distance to the door, unlocking it and opening it so he could head to his car. "But, I hope you'll agree to have lunch with me tomorrow?"

"Absolutely." She placed a quick but passionate kiss on his lips and gently pushed him out onto the front porch. "I'll buy the tea."

"Ok. You'll be ok to get to the base?"

She nodded. "I'll get Sam to give me a lift. See you tomorrow."

He threw one last smile over his shoulder as he walked down the driveway and disappeared into his car. Abbie waved as he pulled away, a pleasant tugging sensation in her heart.

Shutting the door behind her, she took a moment and just leaned against the door. _Well, that was worth working on a Sunday for._ Abbie smiled and headed for the living room, collecting the empty bowls and mugs then taking them into the kitchen. _Not that I'll ever be able to step foot in here without blushing ever again._ She grinned as her eyes fell in the sight of her kettle and blue teapot, the remembered evening burned into her memory. It was only until after she had started the dishwasher that she realized that she hadn't given Daniel any brownies to take home. _Well, maybe I can remedy that . . . _

xxxxxxx

_**For those about to review, I salute you.**_

**(So? Was it worth the wait:) Let me know.)**

xxxxxxx


	12. Sixth Sense

TITLE: "Dinner & Dessert"

AUTHOR: Me! Oh, uh, Verb

RATING: T, I would think. More towards the end, really. I'm no good at this rating thing, but if you're 13 or have the maturity of one, I think you can handle it.

CATEGORY: Humor, Daniel/Other, unapologetic snark.

SUMMARY: What's a little dinner and dessert among friends?

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable Stargate SG-1 characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment only and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended. This story and other publicly unrecognized events or characters therein are copyrighted to the author and may not be used or reproduced in entirety or in parts without express permission of the author.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Round 4 everybody! Another story for me, different since so far I've always written established characters in the Stargate universe. Thought I'd give this a try. Much thanks to Dessert Blossom-by-the-Sea for a much needed double round of beta'ing as well as encouragement. Please read and enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 12 – Sixth Sense**

On Monday morning, Daniel made his way through the mountain, leaving a trail of slightly confused but mostly amused individuals in his wake. He greeted everyone who crossed his path with a bright smile and a hearty greeting, even exchanging the occasional firm handshake.

"Hey, Daniel!"

The loud shout stopped Daniel a few feet from his office. He turned to see Jack walking down the hall towards him. "Hi, Jack." Daniel shoved his hands into the pockets of his BDU's. "What's up?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Jack stopped in front of his former teammate. "I heard you almost broke Siler's hand when he shook yours good morning."

Daniel shrugged. "Not on purpose. I'm having a good day, forgive me for being exhilarated. I figure I should try to share it with other people."

Jack gave him a look that clearly showed he though Daniel has lost his marbles. "Well, you might want to be a little less enthusiastic about it – Siler's got a wicked bruise on his hand from that vice grip you call a handshake." He motioned behind him to Daniel's office with his thumb. "This giddy mood of yours have anything to do with the little container sitting on your desk?"

A slight frown appeared on Daniel's face. "How and why did you get in my office?"

Jack mimicked Daniel's casual stance and shoved his hands in his own pockets. "Oh, you know, all access swipe card, waiting for you, playing with some of your rocks." He gave Daniel a sly smile. "I'm guessing that your current bubbly disposition means things went well with Abbie last night."

"How did you . . . ?"

"Never forget, Daniel, that not only am I the general of this facility and therefore all knowing, but I also have excellent contacts."

A light snapped on in Daniel's brain. "You had Sam hack into the base security feed, didn't you?"

"Now, Daniel. Can't be revealing my sources, can I." Jack fixed the archeologist with another grin. "Especially when said sources provide details about my two top linguists leaving the base in the same car. Your car, if I'm not mistaken."

Daniel had known Jack long enough to know that his teasing was harmless, not that anything could ruin the great mood that had settled in after last night's completely unexpected but more than welcomed events. Still, he knew that since he and Abbie worked together, Jack's blessing as the man who signed both of their paychecks would go a long way. "Yeah, about that, I-"

Jack waved his hands in the universal symbol for 'Shut up, Daniel'. "No problem, Daniel. It's about time you two came to your senses."

Daniel's lips quirked into a small smile. _Now where have I heard that before?_

"Don't even think about any base frat regulations – you're both civilians, so it's nobody's business but your own."

"Thanks, Jack. That means a lot."

"Anytime." He gave him one last smile and made his way down the hall towards the elevators. "Just be sure to share whatever's in that container with me. I have a sixth sense about all things cake related."

Daniel chuckled to himself and opened the door to his office. His eyes cut immediately to his desk, and he was not surprised to see a familiar looking blue container sitting on top of a pile of books. Navigating his way over to his chair, her sat down and reached for the card that was propped up on the container.

_**Daniel,**_

_**Something you forgot after you left last night. I did promise you some to take home with you, and I'm not one to go back on my word. Besides, I figured this would be a good way to make sure you're addicted enough that you'll be back at my place for more. Have a good day – I'll see you for lunch.**_

_**Abbie**_

_**P.S. Make sure Jack doesn't see it – he has a sixth sense about all things cake related.**_

Daniel placed the note back on his desk, next to the photos of SG1 he kept in his office. _How on Earth did she get into the office before I did?_ He sat for a moment, letting all that had happened in the past twenty four hours wash over him, causing a smile to appear on his face as he carefully placed the brownie filled container in one of his desk drawers and locked it shut, not taking any chances that someone would stumble upon it accidentally. Gathering up a few books from around his office to take another crack at the language from P4X-394, he settled down and attempted to make some headway. After what felt like the millionth glace at Abbie's note, he knew any serious work was out of the question. He checked his watch – only four hours to go before lunch. _And I can't wait._

.:The End:.

xxxxxxx

**The end, people! Thanks so much for taking the ride with me and following along with my little story. There is a prequel/sequal in the works, so I'd love it if you stuck around and checked it out when it's finally finished.**

**Thanks so much to all of you who took the time to review! You people are awesome. This story has over 70 reviews, which is kind of ridiculously awesome and a little hard for me to believe. So I'd like to thank the following people for reviewing, in most cases almost every chapter Will the following people stand up and give themselves a round of applause:**

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**Verb**


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